Katherine Salness (#15) made a key three-pointer late in the game for the Warriors. To watch the game highlights, click on the 'Play' button on the photo. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – On ‘Gold Out’ Night in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, the Corban University women’s basketball team used a big first half and then a strong finish to the second stanza en route to defeating the College of Idaho Yotes, 80-75. With the triumph, the Warriors move into a three-way tie for first place in the CCC standings with Eastern Oregon University and Southern Oregon University.
One of the keys on the evening for the Warriors was their bench play, as Corban’s bench outscored the C of I bench, 29-10. The first player off the bench for the Navy and Gold was senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.), and immediately after entering the game, she grabbed a rebound and then nailed a three-pointer, giving the Warriors their first lead of the game at 5-4. Junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) came down the floor on the next possession and sank a long-range effort of her own, putting the Warriors up by four.
Senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.) provided Corban with her usual inside presence, scoring a bucket in the low post, and then Holboke remained confident on the floor, draining from distance again to cap a 13-0 run by the Warriors.
A couple of possessions later, it was sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) who scored on a difficult layup in the paint, and then nabbed a steal a few seconds later on the way to converting on another layup opportunity, extending Corban’s lead to 11 points.
Midway through the stanza, sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) tried her luck from downtown, and she sank her team-leading 37th three-pointer of the 2014-15 campaign, piling it on for the Warriors. Junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) then made a jumper for Corban, pushing the lead to 15 points. Junior guard Chris Carlson (Silver Lake, Wash.) got in on the action, banking in a three-pointer for Corban, and the first-half rout was on.
The Warriors led 42-25 at the halftime break, shooting 47.1% during those first 20 minutes while holding the Yotes to just a 25.0% effort.
The second half was a different story, however, as the Yotes began to attack the basket and drain from deep right away, cutting into Corban’s lead. Corban held C of I off for a while, but the Yotes eventually came back and tied the contest at 55-55 with 8:21 remaining. Elisha Hensey and Haylee Burnham were both key during that spurt, as they both provided the offensive firepower for the Yotes.
Young came up clutch the next time down the floor for Corban, as she sank a much-needed three-pointer for the Warriors, and after a pair of Yote free-throws, Holboke drained from downtown as well, putting Corban up by four points. A minute later, senior guard Katherine Salness (Portland, Ore.) hit a shot from beyond the arc, putting Corban up by seven points. For Salness, it was her first three-pointer of the campaign.
C of I (5-12, 4-4 CCC) cut the deficit back down to two points with 16 seconds remaining, but Van Weerdhuizen proved too clutch for the Yotes, converting on a key layup opportunity, putting the game out of reach for C of I.
“The tale of two halves made it a bit hairy after having such a nice first 15 minutes,” said head coach Dave Bale. “We have to give Mark and C of I credit for how they battled back. But I also have to applaud the Warriors when it came down to the final few minutes when we hit some big three-pointers and found Tara for a nice layup.”
Leading the way for Corban in the five-point triumph was Young with 19 points on a 7-for-11 shooting effort, while Van Weerdhuizen provided another double-double performance with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting and 12 boards. She also racked up five assists. Additionally, Holboke finished in double-digits with 16 points and five rebounds.
Following the game, Young talked about the win in a post-game interview.
“Our bench came through big tonight with 29 points,” said Bale. “Tara, Dani, and Sadie were big time on the boards with 12, 8, and 8. We shot the ball well from the beyond the arc, hitting 10-of-26 with Haley Holboke leading the way with three. She was due as she has been draining them in practice all year! It was a great test as you have to win the close ones!”
For the Yotes, Burnham finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Hensey tallied 13 points. In addition, Aleah Lowber registered a 14-point performance for C of I.
Corban (12-8, 6-2 CCC) returns to the court tomorrow in a CCC showdown vs. Eastern Oregon (14-5, 6-2). The game features two of the three teams that are tied for first place in the CCC standings. Tipoff in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center is set for 5:30 p.m.