PINEVILLE, La. – The Lady Crusaders dominated from wire to wire on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Louisiana Christian University, 74–39.
"A road win is a road win," said Head Coach
Jessica Garriga. "We played defense well with 21 steals and forcing 28 turnovers. It was a physical game, and we shot 36% FG, but made the second effort on the boards. Leah had a great game, and Brooklyn gave us a spark off the bench! Proud of the overall team effort as lots of players contributed. Glad to get a win and now it's time to refocus for the next game on Monday."
WCU opened the game with a commanding 9–2 run, surrendering only a pair of early free throws to the Wildcats. The Lady Crusaders continued to dictate the pace, and a
Madelyn Ladner layup with under four minutes left in the first quarter stretched the lead to 14–4. Carey closed the period strong and carried an 18–7 advantage into the second.
Brooklyn Cuevas set the tone to start the second quarter, converting a layup and the ensuing free throw to push the lead to 14. The Lady Crusaders kept firm control, and at the three-minute mark,
Addyson Sherer drilled a three-pointer to give WCU its largest lead of the half at 30–9. A brief scoring drought in the closing minutes allowed LCU to chip away, cutting Carey's halftime lead to 30–18.
Both teams traded baskets coming out of the break before Carey strung together a 7–0 run to build a 41–23 cushion midway through the third. LCU knocked down a three to halt the run, but the Lady Crusaders maintained control and entered the fourth quarter with a 50–33 lead.
Leah Sutton opened the final period with a three-pointer, and from there, Carey slammed the door. The Lady Crusaders shot 57 percent in the fourth while holding the Wildcats to just 18 percent and forcing seven turnovers in the frame. Despite shooting only 36 percent for the game, WCU capitalized on LCU's mistakes, scoring 36 points off turnovers compared to the Wildcats' 15, and dominated second-chance opportunities with a 20–3 edge.
Sutton led the way with 15 points, while
Shaneal Corpuz added a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Madelyn Ladner rounded out the top scorers with 11 points.
The Lady Crusaders return to action on Monday, Nov. 17, when they host Pensacola Christian in non-conference play. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at Clinton Gym.
