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FORT WAYNE,
Ind. –
The No. 8 University of Saint Francis women's basketball
team opened the 2006-07 season with an 86-66 win over
Indiana University-Southeast Thursday night in the
FWO/Courtyard by Marriott Tip-Off Tournament at Hutzell
Athletic Center. Despite the lopsided victory, the real
story on the night was the addition of USF senior Nikki
Lewis to the 1,000-point club. Lewis' 18 points raised her
career total to 1,015 as she became the 15th player in
program history to reach the milestone.
USF got off to
a sluggish start, but after a pair of IUSE free throws cut
the lead to one at 13-12 with 12:23 left in the first
period, the Lady Cougars outscored the visitors 32-13 the
rest of the way to take a 45-25 cushion into the locker
room. USF hit 16-of-27 field goals in the opening 20 minutes
(59%) while limiting the Grenadiers to 10-of-29 shooting
(35%).
The execution
slipped on both ends of the court in the second half as the
Cougar shooting percentage dropped to 47% (15-of-32) and
IUSE improved to 52%. The Grenadiers matched USF
step-for-step after the break but, in the end, could not cut
into the 20-point halftime deficit.
"We were OK
tonight," USF head coach Gary Andrews said. "I was
disappointed in our second-half defense. We have looked good
in practice and to give up 41 points in the half was not
typical of what we can do defensively. It was good to play
the game, though, and see what we need to work on."
Lewis, who
started the game with 997 career points, passed 1,000 on
a field goal with 3:27 to play in the first half. Her 18
points came on 8-of-12 shooting, including a 2-for-2
connection rate from behind the three-point arc. She added
four rebounds and three steals in a solid 39-minute effort.
Chivonn
Keppeler (14), Toni Burney (11) and Jessica Hathaway (10)
also reached double figures. Keppeler and Burney pulled down
six boards apiece. Bessie Jenkins added nine points off the
bench for USF (1-0).
IUSE's Kayla
Rieckers led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-14 field
goals and 6-of-7 free throws. Teammate Andrea Chambers
finished with 17 points for the Grenadiers (0-1).
The Lady
Cougars face off with Concordia University (Mich.) at 1 p.m.
on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Hutzell Athletic Center to close the
women's bracket at the FWO/Courtyard Tip-Off.
--
GO USF -- |
