Crusaders complete road trip. Turn attention to final home games next weekend.
Crusaders complete road trip. Turn attention to final home games next weekend.

1st Place Austin College too much for Women's Basketball

SHERMAN, Texas – It was a tough day for the University of Dallas women's basketball team, as Austin College won 83-33 on Saturday evening in Hughey Gym. The first place 'Roos were too difficult for UD to keep pace with, as a 16-0 start ignited a big lead for the game. 

Dallas now sits at 8-14 overall and 2-9 in the conference. The Crusaders finish the road trip 1-3 after starting with a victory at Texas Lutheran last weekend. Austin College keeps its spot at the top of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) with its fourth straight win to move to 10-1. The 'Roos are 17-5 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Vanessa Diaz (San Antonio, Texas) ended the scoreless streak for Dallas with the team's first field goal and points at 6:40 in the first quarter. The 'Roos had already gone up by 16 at that juncture and were able to lead by as many as 19 (21-2) over midway through the frame. Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) netted UD's final six points with a pair of free throws and back-to-back jumpers.

The home team kept the pressure on by going up 49-16 at intermission. Another huge scoring difference in the third happened, before a tighter 10-9 AC edge concluded the last 10 minutes.

STAT NOTABLES

DeCoud reached double figures in scoring with 10 points. She tied Helen Onyenso (Oak Park, Ill.) with eight rebounds for a team-high. Onyenso followed her senior classmate in points with seven. Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) added five points and rebounds off the bench. She also tied DeCoud with three steals.

Austin College shot 44.6 percent from the floor, while the Crusaders struggled at 20.4 percent. The 'Roos also hit 12 three-pointers and held a 51-32 edge on the glass. Dallas did hold an advantage in second chance points 14-10.

Bryce Frank secured a double-double by leading all players with 16 points and 10 boards. Addison Walling and Kacie West chipped in 13 points, with Walling shooting 4-of-5 from distance. Andrea Selkow was the next highest rebounder with eight off the bench.

TIP-INS

DeCoud was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line and has 225 now for her career. That total ties her with Christy Allen for 13th all-time.

Onyenso total rebounds helped surpass a new season-high with 159. Her previous best was 152 in 2015-16.

This is the 10th game the Crusaders have eclipsed 10 steals.

UP NEXT

Dallas hosts its final games next weekend starting with Trinity University on February 9th around 7:30 p.m. On the 11th, a trio of seniors will be honored before a near 2 p.m. start versus Schreiner University. DeCoud, Onyenso, and Shelby Waldron (Banning, Calif.) form the group.