Warriors Reach Final Four with 71-54 Dominant Victory over Lower Columbia

PASCO, Wash. – The Walla Walla Warriors led nearly start to finish to defeat Lower Columbia 71-54 to advance to the Final 4 of the NWAC Women's Basketball Championship, presented by Golf Universe, at Columbia Basin College.

The Warriors (25-7) got out to an early lead in the first quarter and never looked back, taking a 22-7 advantage after the first quarter and 44-20 at halftime over the Red Devils. After a rough game scoring against Clackamas on Friday, the Warriors shot much better on Saturday making 48.3 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent (8-for-21) from behind the arc.

Brielle Magnuson continued to perform well in the tournament with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Malia Cortes came off the bench to score 18 points, knocking down 6-of-8 three-point shots. Dylan Lovett had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Red Devils struggled to string points together, especially during the first half when they went 9-for-27 overall and 1-for-7 from behind the arc. After an early lead, they were unable to move the deficit to single digits as the Warriors continued to stack up points.

Bailee Larson led LCC with 15 points. Karlee Vonmoos had eight points and six rebounds.

The Warriors advance to the NWAC Final 4, where they will take on Umpqua on March 16 at 5 p.m. at Columbia Basin College.