SEATTLE -- Four players in double figures helped spark No. 10 West Texas A&M to a hard-fought, come-from-behind 77-73 victory against Simon Fraser on Thursday evening at Seattle Pacific. With the win, WT improved to 8-1 on the year, while SFU fell to 6-2.
WT senior Devin Griffin led the team with 20 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line. Senior Sally Higgins had her best game of the season going 7 of 9 from the field and recording six rebounds and 14 points off the bench, while senior Raven Gerald added 13 points and junior Chontiquah White chipped in 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Clan was led by a game-high 22 points from Erin Chambers on 8 of 17 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Chelsea Reist had 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting and Marie-Line Petit added 11 points.
The Lady Buffs shot 47.6 percent for the game on 30 of 63 from the field. They were just 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, but were 15 of 20 from the line, including 8 of 9 in the second half after starting 1 of 4 from the charity stripe. WT pulled down 35 rebounds and had 15 assists and 15 steals.
SFU shot 52.7 percent from the field on 29 of 55. The Clan was 7 of 19 from range and 8 of 17 from the line, while pulling down 31 rebounds. SFU had 21 assists and 11 steals, but committed 23 turnovers leading to 24 WT points off the miscues.
The game saw 12 ties and 14 lead changes as neither team garnered much a sustained lead. WT led by as many as eight, while SFU led by as many as six.
No. 6 Drury 69, Western Washington 61
LAS VEGAS -- Amber Dvorak scored 19 points and Sanayika Shields added career highs of 15 points and 18 rebounds as No. 6 Drury claimed a 69-61 victory against Western Washington in the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic on Thursday afternoon.
The Lady Panthers improved to 8-0, their best start since 2005-06 and just one win away from matching the 2004-05 squad's school-record 9-0 beginning. Drury will play Great Northwest Athletic Conference favorite Montana State-Billings at 3 p.m. Friday at the South Point Hotel & Casino Arena.
The 6-foot-7 Dvorak, a Minnesota transfer who was coming off a career-best, 20-point effort against Missouri S&T in the Lady Panthers' last game before the finals break, teammed with the 6-1 Shields to form an unstoppable force inside for DU.
They combined to make 13 of 22 shots and grab 27 of the Lady Panthers' 48 rebounds - with Dvorak grabbing nine - as DU claimed a whopping 48-29 advantage on the boards against Western Washington (3-5), an NCAA semifinal team a year ago.
Freshman guard Paige Wilson added 11 points for the Lady Panthers, who built a 45-30 halftime lead and weathered a late run by the Vikings that saw them cut it to seven (62-55) with 2:08 left in a game in which Drury never trailed.
Shields eclipsed her previous career highs of 14 points (vs. Missouri Western) and 11 rebounds (vs. Union), both in the Doubletree Hotel/Houlihan's Thanksgiving Classic at Drury this season, while Dvorak matched the career-best nine boards she grabbed at Northeastern State.
No. 8 Central Missouri 94, Central Oklahoma 76
EDMOND, Okla. -- Four Jennies reached double-figures in scoring, helping UCM roll to a 94-76 victory against Central Oklahoma at the Hamilton Field House on Thursday.
With the victory, UCM (8-1, 2-0 MIAA) improved to 3-1 on the road this season. The Jennies held the lead for all but 59 seconds when Central Oklahoma (6-4, 1-2 MIAA) led 2-1 in the early stages of the game. Revonnia Howard, Keuna Flax and BreAnna Lewis helped facilitate a 16-5 run by UCM, combining for 14 pts over a 5:22 span.
Four three-pointers from Quinnecia Twine (2), Justina Prairie Chief (1) and Shelby Winkelmann (1) pushed the Jennies' lead to 21 with 10:34 left in the opening half. The Jennies held a commanding 53-23 lead at halftime as Central Missouri hit 8-of-18 shots from three-point range, including 3-of-6 from Lewis who set a new season-high with 22 points. UCM took advantage of 11 Bronchos turnovers, converting the miscues into 19 first-half points.
UCM opened the second half on an 8-0 run, including four from Lewis. Central Oklahoma cut the deficit to 30 at 64-34 with 15:54 remaining on the clock, but the Jennies were able to sustain their lead for the remainder of the contest, with the lead dipping below 20 just once at 94-75 with 26 seconds left.
The win gives the Jennies their second-consecutive 8-1 start and third under head coach Dave Slifer (2004-05). UCM remains undefeated all-time against the Lady Bronchos, running their record to 5-0.
Flax finished with 20, giving her double-digit points in all nine games this season. Winkelmann and Howard added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
No. 9 Seattle Pacific 78, South Dakota School of Mines 41
Katie Benson had a double-double by halftime, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds on Thursday night to lead No. 9-ranked SPU past South Dakota School of Mines in a non-conference game.
Junior guard Suzanna Ohlsen added 10 points and three assists for SPU, which got all 11 players who were suited up into the game. Freshman guard Stacey Lukasiewicz tallied a career-high nine points as Seattle Pacific got 33 points and 12 rebounds from its reserves.
