ADRIAN, Mich. -- The 14th-ranked Siena Heights women's basketball team remains perfect in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play after a 77-66 win over Concordia (Mich.) on Saturday evening. Peyton Banks (Wadsworth, Ohio) scored a career-high 34 points to push the Saints past the Cardinals.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 77, Concordia 66
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (19-1, 11-0 WHAC), Concordia (12-7, 7-5 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Banks scored the game's first five points as the Saints jumped out to an 8-2 start in the opening five minutes of the first quarter. She shot a perfect 4-4 from the floor in the opening quarter on her way to 10 points as Siena Heights only allowed nine points on the way to a 14-point lead as the first ended.
The Cardinals rallied in the second quarter as they outscored Siena 15-10. They ended the half with a 5-0 run that cut the SHU lead to 33-24 as the teams entered the locker room at the intermission.
Concordia started the third quarter with a three-point jumper to bring the score to a six-point margin (33-27), but that was the closest the Cardinals would get as Banks would rattle off four consecutive points to bring the Saint lead back to 10 with 7:23 left in the third. Following a good jumper by CUAA, Banks would drill a shot from beyond the arc to give SHU the 42-29 lead with 6:20 left in the quarter. The lead remained in the double-digits throughout the remainder of the third stanza as Siena Heights took a 54-41 advantage into the final quarter of regulation.
The Cardinals came storming back in the fourth as they started things off with a 12-2 run that cut the SHU advantage to only nine points (66-57) with 4:04 left to go in the game. Another 5-0 run by CUAA would bring Concordia (Mich.) within seven points of the lead, but Banks would hit a three-point dagger with 59 seconds left to seal the win for the Saints.
TOP SAINTS
• Banks added 11 boards to her totals for her seventh double-double of the season. She was a perfect 5-5 from three and 13-18 from the floor in the winning effort.
• Demi Russell (Toledo, Ohio) tallied 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Addyson Tomczak (Bay City, Mich.) totaled seven points, four rebounds, and three assists.
• Kiana Votava (Port Huron, Mich.) hauled in 10 rebounds and scored five points while dishing three assists.
• Shelby Morrow (Flushing, Mich.) tied for a game-high four steals while also scoring five points.
THE OPPOSITION
• Katie Snow led the Cardinals with 17 points while also pulling down eight rebounds. She also had four steals in the game.
• J'may Simmons recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Averi Bebble was the last CUAA player with double-digit points as she scored 11 while also having five rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Saints will look to push their winning streak to 14 on Wednesday, January 22 when they meet Cornerstone on the road at 5:30 p.m., EST.
