LEWISTON, Idaho – Led by 24 points by freshman Brittaney Niebergall and a double-double from senior Kirsi Voshell, the No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team brought down No. 21-ranked Westminster College 57-50 on Thursday night.
The win moves the Warriors into a tie for first-place with the Griffins in the Frontier Conference standings. Both teams are now 4-1 in league play.
The point total is a career-high for Niebergall, a guard from Portland, Ore. She hit 9-of-12 attempts from the field and 6-of-8 shots at the foul line. She was also one of the main contributors to LCSC’s 12-2 lead in fast break points as she had a career-high seven steals.
While Niebergall was wreaking havoc on the perimeter, Voshell had another big game on the inside as she ended up with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Alyssa Fierro was the third of the three Warriors to score in double-digits as she reached 12 points.
The Warriors made a concerted effort to attack the inside throughout the game and the plan seemed to pay off as they broke away late in the first half and led 30-19 at the break. The Griffins were able to battle back and take a 35-34 lead seven minutes into the second half, however, LCSC used a steady attack on the inside to regain the lead and hold it down the stretch.
With help from a bucket down low by Fierro followed by two fast break layups from Niebergall, the Warriors overcame the one-point deficit with a seven-point run to lead 41-35 at the 12-minute mark.
LCSC, now 18-2 overall, made it apparent that its offensive strategy on Thursday night did not include an attack from the outside. The team made zero 3-pointers, for only the second time this year, on a season-low seven attempts from long range.
Overall, LCSC led 40-18 in points in the paint, and this advantage helped make up for Westminster’s strong rebounding effort.
The Griffins, now 11-7, finished with a 36-29 lead in rebounds, and a 13-1 lead in second chance points.
Dana Bates led Westminster with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Cydney Tibbits added five points and 12 boards.
Lewis-Clark State outshot Westminster 50 percent to 31.1 percent from the field. The Griffins, which rank No. 5 in the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game, were slowed by an off night from the outside as they made just 6-of-32 (18.8 percent) attempts from behind the arc.
The Warriors’ next games will come on the road as they travel to face MSU-Northern on Friday, Jan. 27, and then Great Falls on Saturday, Jan. 28.
