Sterling snaps women’s three game win streak
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

STERLING – Kansas Wesleyan led Sterling 11-10 with 12:34 to go in the first half, but a 18-2 run from the Warriors put them ahead 28-13 with 3:02 to go as the Warriors clinched the KCAC Women’s Championship with a 71-45 win on Saturday night at the Gleason Center.

Wesleyan jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but the Warriors quickly regrouped, tying things up at 4-all with 16:27 left in the first half and taking a short lead on their next possession as senior Maricela Cerenil scored all five points to open the game for Sterling.

The Coyotes answered back, getting give straight on a three from LaCole Wilkinson and a bucket from Tierra Baldwin to go back up by four, 9-5, with 14:31 left.

Ashley Kraft would score Sterling’s next five points as the Warriors regained the lead at 10-9 with 12:41 left. Wesleyan’s bucket from Khristy Santee on its ensuing possession put the Coyotes up for the last time at 11-10 with 12:34 left, when Sterling turned on the after burners.

A Jacci Tinkel three ignited the run for Sterling, as the Warriors fed off of eight KWU turnovers, six missed shots and two missed free throws during the 18-2 blast that blew the game wide open with 3:19 to go in the half.

Wesleyan (11-15, 8-8) cut the lead to 12 twice before the half, the last time on a Wilkinson bucket with 30 seconds left.

Sterling took a 34-20 lead into the break.

Kraft scored to open the second half ballooning Sterling’s lead to 16, but Wesleyan fought back into it. Baldwin’s bucket with 17:45 left cut the lead to ten, and Kaylaen Dittmer would get the lead down to eight, 38-30, with 15:22 left on a stick back.

Both teams traded scores for the next two and a half minutes, and Sterling held a nine-point lead at 45-36 after a Jennie Vopat score for the Coyotes, when the Warriors would turn up the offensive firepower again.

Another three from Tinkel would this time ignite another 18-2 Sterling run that saw Wesleyan go scoreless for 8 minutes and 39 seconds until Emily Luckeroth converted a three-point play with 3:09 left making it 63-41 Warriors.

Wesleyan could get no closer than 22 the rest of the way as the Warriors picked up the 71-45 win, and their second straight KCAC title.

Wesleyan shot just 28.8 percent from the field (17-of-59), including a 24.3 percent effort in the second half, which featured a 0-for-18 effort from long range. Dittmer led the way with 11, while Baldwin had eight, snapping her six-game streak of double-doubles. Baldwin led the Coyotes with 13 rebounds, while Dittmer had five.

Sterling (18-7, 15-1) was led by Tinkel’s 20 points, while kraft had 17 and Hilary Stucky added 13 as the Warriors were 25-of-56 from the field for 44.6 percent. Kraft and Stucky led Sterling with seven rebounds each, helping the Warriors outrebound Wesleyan 45-38. Sterling also turned 18 KWU turnovers into 23 points.

Wesleyan heads into the final week of the regular season next week at Friends on Thursday and hosting Tabor in the season finale on next Saturday.

-- KWU SI --