The Corban University Women's Basketball team (1-1, 0-0) battled in Washington for the second day in a row, this time in an exhibition matchup with NCAA DI Eastern Washington University (1-0, 0-0) at Reese Court on EWU's campus, where the Eagles came out on top against the Warriors, 86-47.
"This was a great road trip for us to come together and grow as a team, both games gave us an opportunity to get better" Corban Head Coach Bill Pilgeram shared after the end of the exhibition result tonight.
"There were some very good stretches in this game that really showed the ability we have to compete at this level. We are looking forward to getting back home and playing on Tim Hills Court on Thursday for the first time this year," Pilgeram concluded.
In the Warriors' first exhibition contest of the year, the host Eagles bullied their way into the paint and executed the ball movement needed to keep Corban guessing, holding the Navy and Gold to just eight points in the first quarter. A stout defense on the perimeter and in the key from EWU forced 10 Warrior turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Corban managed to battle back to begin the second quarter, scoring the first 10 points of the period to cut the lead to single-digits, including yet another three-pointer from sophomore guard Gemma LaVergne on this Washington trip.
The Eagles managed to swing the momentum back in their favor following their scoring drought, going on a 21-5 run to end the first half, and thus forcing the Warriors into an uncomfortable 23-47 hole at the break.
Even a halftime pause couldn't slow down Eastern Washington, who continued to pile on the points to start the second half, scoring 11 points to the Warriors' five before Pilgeram called timeout. The Eagles were shooting 47% from the three-point line and had hit three-straight when Pilgeram called for the stoppage, as he looked to switch up the gameplan on the perimeter for Corban with roughly a third of the contest still to be played.
While the Warriors attempted to peck away at the Eagles' lead, EWU continued to turn Corban miscues into points, as six more turnovers in the third quarter resulted in a 34-69 deficit for the Navy and Gold.
In the end, a 26-7 turnover margin in favor of Eastern Washington resulted in the Eagles' 39-point victory in the first non-exhibition contest of their short season. They also dominated the paint, scoring 40 of their 86 points in the key.
Warriors' senior forward Holly Golenor finished with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds, shooting 63.6% from the floor and registering a block in 28 minutes played. LaVergne went 50% from beyond the three-point line to finish with six points and two boards.
For Eastern Washington, forward Jaydia Martin scored a game-high 17 points and dealt out four assists in her 6-for-12 shooting from the field, adding a game-high five steals defensively. Guard Aaliyah Alexander added 15 points with a trio of three-pointers, nabbing four steals of her own.
The Warriors return home from Washington to host the University of Montana Western Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0) this upcoming Thursday for an NAIA matchup, with the contest slated for a 5:30pm PST tipoff.
Original source can be found here.
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