SYLVANIA, Ohio -- The Siena Heights women's basketball team used a 21-10 third quarter to pull away from Lourdes on Sunday afternoon. Sha'kyia Parker (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led the team in scoring 17 points in the victory.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 65, Lourdes 48
Location: Sylvania, Ohio (Ebeid Rec. Center)
Records: Siena Heights (9-4, 6-3 WHAC), Lourdes (4-9, 3-6 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lourdes jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening 1:10 of the first quarter. Shelbey Morrow (Flushing, Mich.), Parker, and Peyton Banks (Wadsworth, Ohio) each made a jumper from three-point range to put SHU in the lead, 9-7. A layup by Parker and Kelsey Wyman (Blissfield, Mich.) extended the lead to 13-7 with 1:35 left in the first. The Gray Wolves brought things back to a single basket, 14-12 before Parker hit both of her free throws in the final seconds to give Siena the 16-12 lead as the quarter ended.
The second quarter started with an 8-0 run that gave Lourdes a 20-16 lead in the opening three minutes. Parker made another shot from distance to cut the Saint deficit to one point at the 6:01 mark. The Saints finished the first half with a 12-0 run that spanned the final 4:53 of the half and gave Siena a 31-23 lead as the game hit the halfway mark.
Siena Heights built a 52-33 lead by the end of the third and never looked back for the remainder of the game. The lead was built in the third where the Saints made four three-point shots. They continued to build upon the lead in the fourth quarter and Lourdes never closed the gap to single digits.
TOP SAINTS
• Parker ended the day 5-8 from the floor, 2-4 from three, and 5-8 from the free-throw line. She recorded three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
• Banks finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. She also led the team with four assists.
• Morgan Leppelmeier (Pettisville, Ohio) had a career shooting a perfect 4-4 and making all three of her three-point attempts for a career-high 11 points.
• Wyman led the Saints with 11 rebounds and was just one bucket away from a double-double.
THE OPPOSITION
• Kalani Broyles led the Gray Wolves with 12 points. Mary Liedel added 11 points.
UP NEXT
The Saints travel to Lima, Ohio on Wednesday, February 17 for a date against Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) opponent UNOH. The game is set for a 5:30 p.m., EST, tip.