HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The Lady Crusaders turned Clinton Gym into a fireworks show on Saturday afternoon, unleashing a dominant 86–36 blowout over Point University.
The Lady Crusaders opened on a 10–0 burst and never trailed, building period leads of 21–7, 42–17 at half, and 66–30 after three on the way to their largest home margin of the season.
Carey wasted zero time taking control. Before Point could blink, the Lady Crusaders erupted with a 10–0 run that set the tone for the wire-to-wire finish.
Shaneal Corpuz opened the party with the first bucket of the afternoon, then piled on two more early layups.
Madelyn Ladner sliced through the defense for back-to-back scores, and
Addyson Sherer raced in with a layup that made it 8–0 and sent Point scrambling into a timeout with 7:44 still left in the first quarter. Corpuz answered that timeout by scoring again, and the Lady Crusaders cruised to a 21–7 opening period.
The momentum only built from there. Carey's offense found every rhythm available in the second quarter. Corpuz muscled through contact for an and-one to start the frame, Sherer drilled a three to silence a Point answer, and then the crowd ignited as
Charlie Gamberine caught fire from deep, splashing a pair of threes that stretched the lead even further. As the halftime horn approached,
Anna Rose Engle pulled up from the top of the key and buried a buzzer-beater, giving Carey a commanding 42–17 lead at the break.
The Lady Crusaders' bench carried the torch in the third, delivering a wave of energy that kept Point on its heels.
Leah Sutton,
Presley Thompson,
Meyah Doyle, and
Bailey Devall combined for an 11–3 burst that ballooned the lead to 53–24 in just four minutes.
Alyssa Hillard followed with a three-point play, Doyle tacked on a smooth finish, and Engle beat the third-quarter clock with another timely bucket to send Carey into the fourth up 66–30.
And in the final period Corpuz continued carving up the defense with three more finishes at the rim,
Jenna Garriga knocked down a mid-range jumper, and Sutton turned a steal into a coast-to-coast score. Engle and Hillard added late layups, Doyle calmly sank two free throws, and the Lady Crusaders closed out their most impressive home win of the season, 86–36.
Corpuz led the offense with 20 points with
Charlie Gamberine finishing with 11 points.
William Carey returns to action Monday, January 26, traveling to New Orleans for a showdown with Loyola University. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
