The Tabor College women’s basketball team hammered two of the KCAC bottom-feeders this week, dropping Friends 61-53 and Ottawa 76-58.
Having blown past Stef Randa (not pictured) on the dribble, Stacie Herman outflanks the four remaining Ottawa defenders with a pinpoint pass late in the second half of Saturday’s blowout win. With 17 points and 10 assists, she recorded Tabor’s first double-double of the season.
Ottawa
The Bluejays fell behind 3-0 16 seconds into the contest and trailed for a grand total of 1:13 before their superior organization and athleticism translated into stops at the defensive end and made shots on offense.
When Kirsten Watson drained a long 2-pointer from the right wing at 16:30, the floodgates opened. Tabor rattled off seven unanswered points and led by a 13-5 margin.
Ottawa rallied to pull within 20-18, but a pair of 3-pointers by Joanna Pyle—combined with field goals by Stacie Herman, Chelsea Malone and Jordan Crosson—carried the Bluejays to halftime on a 14-5 run.
Ottawa scored 11 of 23 first-half points on free throws and went 10-for-14 at the line in the second half.
But the freebies, though they accounted for more than a third of the Braves’ point total, were not enough to keep the visitors in the game.
Pyle nailed another 3-pointer on Tabor’s 11 seconds into the second and the Bluejays outpaced Ottawa 11-3 in the opening minutes of the period.
Stacie Herman dialed up 13 points and four assists in the second half, burying back-to-back 3-pointers that stoked the early outburst to a scorching 27-11 pace.
Ottawa scored three consecutive field goals but still trailed 61-40 when Herman quashed any thought of a comeback with an old-school 3-point play at 8:42.
Herman finished with a point guard’s double-double: 17 points and 10 assists, along with five steals and no turnovers. It was Tabor’s first double-double of the season. Pyle led all scorers with 20 points, and Brittany Roth scored 15 in 19:03 of action.
Friends
A deceptively close first half saw Tabor claim a 3-2 lead on a triple by Joanna Pyle on the Bluejays’ first trip down the floor. It was the first and only lead change of the contest.
The Falcons pulled within a single point three times during the period: 12-11 on a 2-pointer by Mary Onelio, 15-14 on a 3-pointer by Liz Barton, and 25-24 on a 3-point heave by Kristina Jones that beat the halftime buzzer.
The Bluejay defense picked up steam from the outset in the second half, forcing turnovers and limiting the Falcon shooters to 37 percent from the field and just 2-for-12 from beyond the arc.
The Bluejay shooters caught fire, with Kirsten Watson hitting a 3-pointer to open second-half scoring. Stacie Herman scored a 3-point shot at 16:40, Pyle scored from the arc 1:01 later, and Tabor led by 10.
A steal-and-score layup by Tasia Johnson made it 42-32 at 13:05. Johnson set up a jumper by Jordan Crosson for a 46-36 lead with 9:50 left.
Friends followed with a 12-2 run that hinged on a Barton triple at 6:47 and tied the game at 48-all with 5:28 to go.
Back-to-back baskets by Crosson and Herman made it 52-48, setting up a pivotal exchange. With 1:26 left, Jones nailed a 3-point shot, but Herman restored the Bluejay lead with a trey on Tabor’s ensuing trip.
Tabor went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final minute to close it out. Pyle scored 17 points, Herman 15 and Watson 9.
Coming—Tabor (9-5) plays Southwestern (11-3) at home Thursday and visits Bethel (4-10) Saturday.
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