SALEM, Ore. – The No. 25-ranked Northwest Christian University women's basketball team continued to surge on Tuesday night, opening up conference play with a 85-69 road win over the Corban Warriors. The Beacons won their second-straight conference opener while improving to 8-0 on the year, extending their longest win-streak to begin a season in program history.
 
NCU (8-0, 1-0 CCC) had five players in double figures, four scoring 15 or more. Freshmen Anamaria Virjoghe and Morgan McKinney both started off their CCC careers with huge games. Virjoghe had 17 points with eight rebounds and tied the NCU single-game blocking record with six. McKinney came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points, shooting 66% from the field (8-12).
 
Head Coach Heath Alexander spoke of his teams opening night victory after the game. "We had balanced scoring and all-around great effort tonight from everyone. We defended well against a really good Corban team."
 
McKinney started off hot for the Beacons, hitting all four of her field-goals and a free-throw for nine of her teams 19 first period points. The teams traded points for most of the first period, with the score changing sides three times before the Beacons closed out up by one.
 
Senior guard Niki Duncan exploded in the second, scoring eight in-a-row as part of a 15-point NCU run. Duncan had 13 of her 19 points in the period while hitting three shots from long-range, leaving her just two shy of tying Sami Pitts for NCU's all-time record.
 
The third period was an offensive show, with Corban scoring 29 points to NCU's 24, trying to chip away at their 13 point halftime deficit. The Warriors' Jordan Woodvine took control, pressuring in the paint and getting to the charity stripe on five occasions, hitting 8-9 to contribute to her 15 points in seven minutes. The Beacons 57% field-goal percentage in the third helped them maintain their lead, taking an eight-point advantage into the final period.
 
The Warriors again whittled-away at NCU's lead in the final period, getting within four with just under six minutes to play. The Beacons defense put a stop the damage, holding the home side scoreless for the next five minutes of play, allowing their offense to score 13 unanswered and close out the night with a win.
 
NCU guard Katerina Brejchova put forth a well-rounded game, earning a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 13 boards, as well as swiping four steals. Janae Turner contributed ten points of her own, also finishing with four steals to go along with her four rebounds.
 
Emily Yost had 20 points for the Warriors (2-4, 0-1), going 9-12 from the field. Woodvine ended the night with 18 points and eight boards, while teammate Maci Bozett had 16 points, hitting four shots from beyond-the-arc.
 
Northwest Christian has just over two weeks to prepare for their next game, a Top-25 matchup on the road against No. 8 Eastern Oregon on December 15. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.