Bobcats Advance to Semi-Finals After Win Over Pioneers
Earning the number one seed in the regional playoffs, the Bryant & Stratton College women's basketball team defeated the eight seeded Prairie State College Pioneers 72-37 on Tuesday night...
WAUWATOSA, WI (February 26, 2019) - Earning the number one seed in the regional playoffs, the Bryant & Stratton College women's basketball team defeated the eight seeded Prairie State College Pioneers on Tuesday night 72-37.
The win improves the Bobcats to 20-10 on the season and advances them to the semi-final game against the Triton College Trojans (19-12).
Freshman guard Taynique Hawthorne led the way for the Bobcats with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists followed by freshman guard Kiyanna Rodgers dropping 14 points, 5 assists and four rebounds.
Sophomore guard Valerie Nzeakor added nine points and six rebounds off of the bench while sophomore forward Maddy McCoy grabbed 10 boards and eight points.
To start the game, Rodgers provided an early spark for the Bobcats as she knocked down shot from distance followed by a coast-to-coast layup to take an early 5-0 lead.
Rodgers, who has been a key member to the Bobcats success this season, was named to the Region IV All-Region Team over the weekend.
"I thought Kiyanna played very well," Bobcats head coach Jeff Lorenz said. "She did a great job of keeping everyone involved while controlling the tempo of the game."
At the break, Bryant & Stratton led the Pioneers 41-17.
Midway through the third quarter, the Bobcats jumped out to a 8-2 run after Hawthorne's converted layup through traffic to extend their lead to 30 (51-21).
"We kept our energy up in the third quarter which gave us momentum," Lorenz said.
Holding a 59-27 advantage to start the fourth quarter, Bryant & Stratton kept their foot on the gas as they stretched their 32 point lead to 37 midway through the fourth after Nzeakor knocked down a jump shot.
With just under a minute left in the final quarter, Bryant & Stratton led by 35 points and saw themselves advancing onto the semi-final game for the second straight year.
"This was a good start for us but we have a lot to improve on," Lorenz said. "Every rounds gets tougher and we have a lot of work to do."
Bryant & Stratton shot 39.4% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. The Bobcats held the Pioneers to just 22.2% shooting (12-54 from the field) and 15.4% from distance.
UP NEXT:
Bryant & Stratton will travel to the host of the semi-final and championship game of the region iv tournament, Waubonsee Community College, to take on the Triton College Trojans at 12:00pm.
This will be the first time this season Bryant & Stratton and Triton square off which is anticipated to be a highly competitive match.