BOX SCORE
CALDWELL, Idaho – After holding a six-point halftime lead, Corban's women's basketball team was held to a mere 35.0% shooting in the second half en route to falling to the NAIA's No. 20-ranked The College of Idaho, 73-53, Friday evening inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.
With tonight's result, Corban falls to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Meanwhile, The College of Idaho improves to 11-4 overall and remains atop the league standings with a win-loss record of 7-1 in conference play.
The visiting Warriors were led in scoring for the second straight game by sophomore
Becky Buhler (Clackamas, Ore.), who tallied 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting from the field that included a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the three-point arc. Buhler was aided scoring-wise by junior
Jennesa Miller (Mica, Wash.) and freshman
Tess Bennett (Sutherlin, Ore.), who each contributed eight points.
On the boards, sophomore
Rachel Harter (Grass Valley, Calif.) pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds to go along with Miller's seven-rebound showing. Sophomore
Katie Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) handed out a game-high five assists, while also registering a game-high three blocks.
In the opening half, Corban would pull out to a game-high nine-point lead (19-10) following a Buhler three-pointer with 7:54 remaining. The College of Idaho would battle back over the final seven-plus minutes, as the host 'Yotes got within five points (28-23) at halftime despite making only six field goals over the game's opening twenty minutes.
The second half would begin with C of I using a 7-1 run over the opening two-plus minutes to knot the game at 30-30 thanks to a Nicole Gall three-pointer with 17:39 left in the game. The host Coyotes would quickly push their lead to as much as 21 points (60-39) thanks to an opening 37-11 run that was capped via a Marquin Gilliam-Hicks free throw with 8:38 showing on the clock. The visiting Warriors could not get any closer than 15 points (60-45) following a Miller jumper with 7:16 to go. The College of Idaho would settle for the 20-point victory (73-53), as Corban junior
Ashlee Jensen (Yuba City, Calif.) scored the final points via a free throw in the game's final second.
Gall and Whitney Owen would lead all players in scoring with 15 points each, while Katie Struck added 14 points for the host 'Yotes. Strunk and Owen would pull down a game-high nine rebounds each, while Gall added six rebounds for the victorious C of I.
As a team, Corban shot 18-for-50 (36.0%) from the field that included a 7-for-20 (35.0%) showing over the game's final twenty minutes. The Warriors were also 5-for-17 (29.4%) from beyond the three-point line and 12-for-22 (54.5%) at the free throw line. On the other hand, The College of Idaho shot 25-for-75 (33.3%) from the field that included a 6-for-33 (18.2%) showing in the first half. The Coyotes also shot 5-for-13 (38.5%) from long distance and 18-for-25 (72.0%) at the charity stripe.
The Warriors will return to action tomorrow night – Saturday, January 16th – against the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside Quinn Coliseum in La Grande.
NOTE: Tomorrow night's game will be part of Eastern Oregon's Retro Weekend, as fans are encouraged to wear 80's style clothing for the Warrior-Mountaineer contest.