McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Aided by a big rebounding advantage, a good shooting percentage, and excellent ball control, the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team made quick work of Linfield College 91-56 on Friday. The Warriors were led by Tasha Bishop who scored a career high 19 points and Alyssa Fierro who worked her way to a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
LCSC outrebounded the Wildcats 40-19, shot 51.5 percent from the field, made 16-of-17 free throw attempts, and committed only nine turnovers.
After a slow start that saw the Warriors ahead by only a point with 3:44 left in the first half, LCSC used a 10-0 run to build a lead of 42-31 by half time. In the second half, helped by a 6-for-9 mark from 3-point territory and a lot of second chances, the Warriors were able to extend their lead to as much as 36.
The Warriors, up against a squad with only one player taller than 5-foot-11, dominated the paint. LCSC finished with 17 offensive rebounds to the Wildcats’ three.
Lewis-Clark State’s pressure defense was able to force the Wildcats into 18 turnovers.
Jasmine Stohr and Nikki DePeel played a big part in keeping Linfield’s offense on edge as they finished with five and three steals respectively. Stohr also had a strong night on offense as she finished with 15 points and four assists.
Helping LCSC’s bench outscore Linfield’s 45-11, Madison Mendezona hit three of her four attempts from behind the 3-point line to finished with nine points.
If it weren’t for the hot shooting of a couple of Wildcats the score would have been even more lopsided. Nadra Evans scored 16 points on an 8-for-10 night, while Gretchan Owens went 4-for-5 from behind the arc to add 14. Linfield shot 47.9 percent overall.
Linfield had only four free throw attempts in the game.
LCSC now travels to Newburg, Ore., to face George Fox University on Saturday at 6 p.m. This D-III school may prove to be more of a test for the Warriors, as George Fox went 32-0 last season en route to the NCAA D-III national championship.
