LEWISTON, Idaho – In front of a season-high attendance of 1,507, Lauren Daling scored a career high and Alyssa Fierro had a double-double to help the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team blow past Carroll College 82-57 on Thursday night at the Activity Center.
The victory stands as the fifth consecutive win for the Warriors and the fourth straight game that they have shot over 50 percent from the field.
Lewis-Clark State, which was ranked No. 10 in last NAIA poll, is now 8-2 in the Frontier Conference and 22-3 overall. Carroll, which received votes in the last poll but did not crack the top 25, is now 4-5 and 17-8.
Thanks to a 53.2 percent shooting clip and a career-high 13 assists by Kenna Reiter, four Warriors scored in double figures with Daling leading with 19. Daling eclipsed her former career-high of 16 by shooting 8-for-11 from the field including 2-for-5 from 3-point territory.
Kirsi Voshell scored 17 points and had eight rebounds, Fierro reached her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 boards, and Jasmine Stohr added 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
Reiter, who also had eight points and two steals, helped the Warriors reach 24 assists overall which is their highest total this conference season and their second highest mark on the year.
The Warriors took control of the game right out of the gate as they jumped to a 13-0 lead in the first five minutes and then enlarged their lead to 36-16 at the half. In the second half, the Warriors never let the Saints get any closer than 16, and reached their largest lead of 29 with just over three minutes left in regulation.
The difference in the game seem to come mainly from the Warriors’ ability to score inside and find open shots. Carroll had 18 offensive boards to LCSC’s nine, but the Warriors led 34-18 in points scored in the paint and 24-11 in assists.
LCSC also did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game and led 28-13 in fast break points.
Carroll, which shot just 26.1 percent in the game and also made just 13-of-24 (54.2) attempts from the foul line, was led by Jessica Van Dyke who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Alysha Green also chipped in 13 points and four assists.
A major reason for Carroll’s shooting deficiencies was due to the long defense of LCSC which tallied eight blocks. Voshell had three, Reiter and Tasha Bishop had two apiece, and Loree Hill had one to go with five rebounds. The Warriors entered the game ranked No. 2 in the NAIA in total blocks (130), and No. 3 in blocks per game (5.417).
Two changes were made to the Warrior record books on Thursday night. Reiter, a senior, now has 415 career assists which moves her past Julie Stringer’s mark of 404 and into fifth overall. Fierro, a junior, has 688 career rebounds which pushes her past Sara McEachern’s 684 and into fifth as well.
The Warriors return to the Activity Center on Saturday to face Rocky Mountain College. The Battlin’ Bears defeated the Warriors 77-66 in Billings earlier in the season. Tipoff is at 6 p.m., and because it is Alumni Appreciation Night all LCSC alumni and their families will receive free admission.
