(Lewiston, ID) The Cascade Conference Game of the Week lived up to the hype, but the final result favored the fourth-ranked Southern Oregon Raiders in the end. Ellie Sander had the best offensive game of her career with a career-high 36 points in the 89-80 contest. Payton Hymas also notched a career-best with 10 assists.
“I was extremely proud of the way our team battled today,” coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “We battled incredibly tough against the No. 4 team in the nation and we had some great performances today.”
Two of the NAIA’s top teams went toe-to-toe and showcased two of the best defenses in the nation. LC State totaled six blocks, SOU edged the Warriors in rebounds 31-24 and the Warrior women snagged 13 steals to best Southern Oregon’s 12. LC State shot 54.4% from the field and SOU shot 57.6%.
“We played a poor second quarter defensively and got into a hole that was just too hard to get out of,” Orlandi explained. “In these games, every possession holds extreme importance and you have to value the basketball. I thought our second half was better and we competed the whole game.”
Sander’s point total is the most by any player in the history of SOU’s Lithia Motors Pavilion which opened in 2018. Her 36 points is tied for seventh-most by a Warrior in a single game.
“Ellie Sander came to compete today and, in my opinion, had her best game as a Warrior,” Orlandi added. “She was remarkable offensively and defended with so much heart today. Payton’s 10 assists were big and to have 22 assists is what we want to do as a team.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sitara Byrd answered an opening Raider basket with a 3-pointer for an early 3-2 edge. The top-25 teams battled with Mataya Green keeping the score close with a layup at 7:38. Back-to-back buckets by Sander and Payton Hymas had the LC State deficit at two, 11-9, at 5:23 and a triple by Hymas made it 14-12 in favor of SOU at 4:05.
The Raiders began to pull away with a 20-12 advantage by 2:06, but an and-1 play by Darian Herring brought the score within five. SOU used 3-pointers to surge in front 25-15 before a basket by Sander had the margin at 25-17 after 10 minutes.
The deficit grew to start the second quarter before a bucket by Lindsey Wilson put the Warriors on the board at 7:36. Green, Byrd and Sander added baskets as the frame went on for a score of 39-27 midway through. Sander hit a 3 to make it 42-30 at 3:55 and another seven with a jumper, free throws and 3-pointer brought the score back within 10, 47-37, with 1:52 left in the half. She added a three-point play to close out the frame with LC State trailing 52-40.
The Warriors made a run to start the third quarter and pulled within six with an 11-5 stretch. Herring, Hymas and Sander combined for four straight points before Sander hit another 3. Sander and Herring went back-to-back for a 57-51 difference at 5:25.
Foul shots by Sander brought the score back within 10 after a run by the Raiders, and a 3 by Byrd made it 68-60 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sander stayed hot with the first bucket of the final frame to cut the difference to 68-62 and continued to add onto her career-best total. Hymas scored and Green drained a 3 for a 10-point difference, 80-70, with five minutes to play.
The Raiders pulled away in the final four minutes despite tallies from Herring, Sander, Hymas and Byrd as the clock ticked down.
SCORE RECAP
Sander scored the most points by a Warrior this season and bested her previous career-high by eight points with her 36-point total. She was 13-for-17 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. She added three boards, two blocks and five steals to her line.
Byrd scored 12 points with a game-high seven rebounds along with four assists. Hymas added 11 points in her return from injury and dealt a career-high 10 assists for a double-double. Herring scored 11 points with three blocks and three steals.
The Warriors had 22 assists on 31 made field goals. LC State totaled 13 steals
UP NEXT
The Warrior women wrap up the road trip on Saturday with a key contest at Oregon Tech. The Owls sit just in front of LC State in the CCC standings.
