CHICAGO -- The No. 19 Siena Heights women's basketball team used a 10-0 run to gain the lead in the first quarter and never looked back in a 72-49 drubbing of the host school, Roosevelt (Ill.), on Friday evening. The Saints and Lakers met up on day one of the Roosevelt Tournament in Chicago, Illinois. Kelsey Wyman (Blissfield, Mich.) was the leading scorer for Siena Heights with 23 points off the bench.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 72, Roosevelt (Ill.) 49
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Records: Siena Heights (12-1), Roosevelt (3-12)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lakers jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after hitting back-to-back jumpers from beyond the three-point line. The Saints eventually cut the lead to one point, 8-7, before Demi Russell (Toledo, Ohio) knotted things up with at eight with a free throw. Peyton Banks (Wadsworth, Ohio) gave Siena its first lead, 10-8, a few plays later after she made both of her free-throw attempts. Roosevelt would hit a jumper to tie the score at 10 for the final time in regulation. Wyman hit a three-point jumper that sparked the 10-0 run for the Saints.
Siena outscored the Lakers 27-16 in the second quarter to take a 47-28 lead into the locker room at the half. The Saints won the third quarter 19-13 to continue to build upon the lead. Roosevelt outscored Siena in a low-scoring fourth quarter, 8-6, but it wasn't enough to catch up to the Saints.
Siena finished the game shooting 47.5% from the floor while the Lakers struggled, making only 27.9% of their shots. The Saints outrebounded Roosevelt 47-30. Both teams committed a lot of turnovers with SHU finishing the game with 26 while the Lakers had 21. Siena scored 16 points off turnovers and 14 fastbreak points.
TOP SAINTS
• Wyman tallied 23 of the team's 31 bench points to lead the Saints in scoring. She shot 8-10 from the floor and was 6-8 from beyond the arc. She also hauled in three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
• Russell was 6-12 from the floor for 14 points. She had eight rebounds and two assists as well.
• Banks finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high four assists.
• Kiana Votava (Port Huron, Mich.) also dished four assists while scoring seven points.
THE OPPOSITION
• JayShari Chears led the Lakers with 17 points. She also contributed with three rebounds and a steal.
• Ashley Smoldt scored 11 points and led the team with four assists and two blocks.
• Tanea White had a team-high four steals while scoring 10 points.
UP NEXT
The Saints finish their time at the Roosevelt Tournament tomorrow with a game against Midland (Neb.) at 4:00 p.m., EST.
