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Another 20-plus point night by Steigleman not enough
February 9, 2008
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In two games this weekend, senior Jessica Steigleman amassed 46 points, 21 rebounds, and two steals combined while playing 74-out-of-80 minutes. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Furumasu, Corban Sports Information) |
LA GRANDE, Ore. – For the second straight night, senior Jessica Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) registered a game-high in points with 21 but it was not enough as Corban's women's basketball team fell to the NAIA's No. 25-ranked Eastern Oregon, 72-54, Saturday inside the Quinn Coliseum.
Twenty-four hours ago, the 5-foot-11 guard/forward combo player eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the 11th time this season coming within a mere point of tying her career-high. Steigleman has scored 20-or-more points in three of Corban's last four games, including a combined total of 82 points over the past two weekends.
In the opening half, both teams battled back and forth for the first seven-plus minutes and were knotted at 13-all following a three-pointer by Corban junior Kailey Bostwick (Medford, Ore.) with 12:24 remaining. A 5-0 run by Eastern Oregon in a span of 2:08 handed the host Mountaineers an 18-13 lead that they would never relinquish. EOU would push its lead to as much as 14 points (39-25) following a Shenna Henderson jumper in the paint with 74 seconds to go in the first half. Steigleman capped the opening half's scoring via a jumper with 31 seconds left, as EOU took a 12-point advantage (39-27) into the locker room.
In the second half, Corban got within 11 points (49-38) following a three-pointer from junior Ashley Connell (Spokane, Wash.) with 13:58 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the Warriors could not get any closer as Eastern Oregon pushed its lead to as much as 19 points (62-43) following a jumper in the paint by Breana Olson with just over seven minutes showing on the clock. Over the final seven minutes, the host Mountaineers held its double digit lead and capped the game's scoring via another jumper in the paint by Calli Jo Turner with 52 seconds remaining for the final margin of 18 points (72-54).
Along with Steigleman, Bostwick added 10 points and a team-high seven assists while senior Mandy Peterson (Portland, Ore.) chipped in with six points off the bench. Connell and sophomore Emily Goette (Aumsville, Ore.) added five points each, while Steigleman, Connell, and Goette pulled down a team-high six rebounds apiece.
Eastern Oregon was led by Olson, who scored a team-high 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field to go along with a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the arc and a 1-for-2 showing at the free throw line. Along with Olson, Tiffanie Ulmer added 13 points and a team-high tying eight rebounds to go along with Salena Leavitt's 12 points, a game-high 10 assists, and a team-high tying eight rebounds.
As a team, Corban shot 20-for-61 (32.8%) from the field including 4-for-16 (25.0%) from behind the three-point line and 10-for-14 (71.4%) from the free throw line. On the other hand, Eastern Oregon was 29-for-52 (55.8%) from the field that included performances of 6-for-13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc and 8-for-14 (57.1%) from the charity stripe.
With the loss, Corban falls to 8-18 overall, 4-12 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Eastern Oregon improves to 21-3 overall, 14-2 in CCC action. The Warriors will return to the floor on Friday, February 15th, when Corban host Warner Pacific beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center on Think Pink Night.
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