Women's Basketball Wins 6th straight Wednesday at Dallas Christian
(Photo courtesy of Gerard Shaughnessy)
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – It was an off shooting night for both teams on Wednesday, but the University of Dallas women's basketball team (6-1) won for the sixth time in a row since the season opener at Dallas Christian College. The road Crusaders took advantage of a seven-point advantage second quarter and held off a fourth quarter surge by the host team to earn a 57-46 triumph.
The winning streak matches the longest for UD since 2013-14 (November 15 – December 20) when that squad also began the campaign 6-1.
NOTABLES
- Seana Stoia (Tulsa, Okla.) boasted her 4th double-double night in a row with a game-high 23 points and tied game-high 13 rebounds. She snatched a season-best seven offensive boards for her season-high output. Stoia made 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
- Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) matched the game-high rebounding total with 13 of her own. Her eight points rounded out top trio of scorers, but was first time this year to missing double figures.
- Holly Tonry (Seattle, Wash.) eclipsed double-digits in scoring for the first time this season with 10 points. Six of them occurred in second half. She also pulled down a season-most eight rebounds and added five assists.
- The navy and white Crusaders won the battle on the glass 51-24. UD has surpassed 50 rebounds the last two contests and was two off tonight from season-most.
- The second chance points favored Dallas 16-12 and points in the paint was a 26-20 advantage.
- UD also won fastbreak points 9-2.
- Dallas Christian forced 21 turnovers and only committed 11. This led to a 16-11 DCC edge on points off miscues.
- The home team etched 10 points in each of the first three quarters.
- Erionna Brown and Breana Stoner were the squad's top scorers with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dallas Christian started with an early lead and scored the first three points out of the opening tip. Stoner hit a jump shot and Shamara Taylor hit the backend of two free throws to get the first points within 45 seconds. Stoia answered with the first six points in a row and was responsible for eight in the quarter. Her two free throws a minute and a half into the frame were UD's first points on the board. She had a jumper after taking a rebound from the opponent's missed shot to give the team its first lead of the game.
The lead changed twice more as points were traded the next two possessions, but Dallas got an edge that was never relinquished on Stoia's pair of free throws about halfway through the first. Caitlyn Worry (Lumberton, Texas) drained the first of two treys in the game with 3:47 and opened a 9-5 edge. The lead at the first break was 11-10. The team's struggled to score throughout the beginning 10 minutes as the sides combined for seven made field goals. Dallas was 3-for-17 shooting at that juncture.
The home Crusaders were unable to get any points in the second quarter until just over three minutes ticked off the board. By then a Stoia layup and back-to-back three's from Worry and Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) increased UD's edge to nine (19-10). Over the next minute Dallas Christian cut the gap to six (21-15) with Stoner's trifecta being the latest score of that span. Sammi Tso (Las Vegas, Nev.) countered with her lone three of the night to push the lead back to nine. The score remained the same until 3:17 before halftime and DCC's Stoner drained another three. Two shots at the charity stripe by Victoria Kyukendall narrowed the score 24-20. Dallas had the final four points – all from Tonry – including a last second buzzer beater jumper from just above the free throw line.
In the third quarter, both teams again combined for just as many times in a row, under 10 made field goals. The combined nine field goals led to both teams posting 10 points apiece. DeCoud scored six of her eight points in this frame. Dallas did control the early momentum going in front by as many as 16 (36-20) before the first opposition points were recorded seven minutes in by Brown's jumper. Other than Tonry's jumper with a minute left, DCC sank 10 of the last 12 points to the horn.
It set up a tight fourth quarter where the home team surged back to within four (46-42) about midway through. Kyukendall split at the line to create the closest margin of the second half. Stoia answered with a jumper but another trip at the line by Kyukendall – this time hitting both – would close the gap again. Dallas had an answer the next possession with a Tonry jumper, but a Kyukendall steal after DCC missed on the next possession returned the ball on its side and Taylor drove the fast break to close the gap a final time that night at 50-46. The remaining 3:25 in the game was all the guests with a 7-0 run in favor of UD.
UP NEXT
Dallas opens Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Colorado College Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. (MST) 6:30 p.m. (CST). The Crusaders are in the midst of a four-of-five game away trip to end 2016.