HELENA, Mont. – It was a game of scoring streaks and an 11-2 Warrior run early in the second half gave the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team a big enough lead to get past Carroll College on Saturday night. The Warriors won the game by a final score of 74-62.
LCSC, which is now 17-2 overall and 3-1 in the Frontier Conference, rushed to an 11-2 lead to start the game, Carroll countered with a 16-8 run to lead 28-27 at the half, and then LCSC’s scoring streak in the second half made the difference in the game.
The Warriors, ranked No. 4 in the most recent NAIA poll, entered the game with perhaps even more drive than usual after being upset by Rocky Mountain College 77-66 on Thursday.
Although the Warriors’ offensive attack looked pretty lackluster in the first half, LCSC got things rolling in the second thanks to major contributions from Jasmine Stohr and Kirsi Voshell.
Stohr scored 15 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 23 points to go with five rebounds, four blocks, and three assists, while Voshell added 16 points and nine boards.
Other Warrior contributors included Kenna Reiter who had eight points and seven assists, Alyssa Fierro who had five points and nine rebounds, and Lauren Daling who finished with seven points, three rebounds, and two assists.
The Warriors shot a respectable 27-of-59 (45.76 percent) from the field, had a 10-2 advantage in second chance points, and committed 13 turnovers to Carroll’s 16.
While LCSC did shoot a little better and commit fewer turnovers on Saturday than they did on Thursday, the biggest difference between the two games was that the Warriors were able to get to the foul line.
The Warriors had just eight free throw attempts against Rocky, but were able to earn 25 attempts against Carroll. LCSC made just 17 of those attempts, but it still helped them score points down the stretch and maintain a lead.
Stohr did a particularly good job of drawing contact and then hitting foul shots. She ended the game 11-of-12 at the line, including one stretch late in the second half when two technical fouls on Carroll forced her to shoot six straight shots at the line, all of which she made.
Carroll, ranked No. 22 in the NAIA and now with a 14-5 overall record and 1-2 mark in league play, used steady defense and a good night at the foul line to keep itself in the game despite poor shooting from the field.
The Saints made 17-of-51 (33.3 percent) attempts overall, but came away with nine steals, and hit 23-of-29 shots at the foul line.
Alysha Green and Jessica Van Dyke were the only Saints to score in double-digits as they had 13 and 11 points, respectively. Green was 5-of-6 and Van Dyke was 4-of-4 at the charity stripe.
Jeni Guertin led Carroll with 10 rebounds, while Jill Jagelski added five assists and eight points, all of which came at the foul line.
Because Westminster beat Rocky Mountain and Montana Tech beat Great Falls on Saturday, the Warriors are now in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Montana Tech and Westminster both standing at 3-1.
Next up on LCSC’s slate is a trip to Salt Lake City on Jan. 22 to face No. 15 Westminster.
