A battle of NAIA Top 15 programs takes center stage tonight as the No. 9-ranked Raven Women's Basketball team takes to Dugan Jones Court for the first time in 2018 hosting No. 11-ranked Baker University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
The Match Up: (9) Benedictine (13-2, 4-1 Heart) vs. (11) Baker (13-2, 5-0 Heart) 5:30 p.m. | Dugan Jones Court - Ralph Nolan Gymnasium
Video: BRSNtv - portal.stretchinternet.com/ben
Radio: (Courtesy of KAIR 93.7 FM) - http://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KAIR
Live Stats: (Courtesy of Dakstats) - http://bit.ly/2zhegO5
FULL GAME NOTES
TIP OFF: The first meeting between Benedictine and Baker Women's Basketball is the 57th meeting between the two programs since Benedictine joined the Heart for the 1992-93 season. ... Benedictine holds a 36-20 series lead over that time but is looking to snap a four-game losing streak that dates back to their March 21, 2016 meeting in the NAIA Div. I Fab Four. Over the previous 20 meetings, the series is tied at 10-10.
ABOUT BENEDICTINE: The Ravens return home for the first time since Dec. 15 when they needed overtime to earn a win over NAIA Div. II-ranked Friends University. ... Benedictine returns home riding back-to-back wins over William Penn and Mount Mercy. ... Jordan Closter was named the Heart Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her efforts in last week's wins.
ABOUT BAKER: The Wildcats enter the match up with the Ravens riding the second-hottest winning streak in the Heart at 8 games (MNU has won 10 straight). ... Baker is 5-0 in Heart play with wins over Avila, Culver-Stockton, Mount Mercy, CMU and Missouri Valley. Their last loss was on Nov. 18 against Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) at home.
TWEET THIS – Notes on today's match up in less than 280 characters: Lexie Villegas leads the Ravens in rebounds with 116 at an average of 7.7. She now has 810 career rebounds, just 52 shy of the program career mark. ... With 1,339 career points, Kristen Murphy continues to climb the Ravens all-time scoring list. She is currently ranked 7th – 22 points shy of 6th. ... The Ravens have lost four straight to the Wildcats. Over that losing streak, Benedictine has been limited to 50.8 ppg while Baker is averaging 61.8. ... The Wildcats swept three meetings with the Ravens last season. Over their #HeartWBB series history, Benedictine has only been swept by Baker four times. ... Last season's meeting in Atchison was the closest over the current four-game losing streak. Baker used two FTs with 3 seconds remaining to earn a 64-62 win. ... Benedictine is currently ranked No. 7 in #NAIADIWBB in turnover margin (6.1). They force on average 23.5 turnovers while committing just 17.5. ... Benedictine leads #HeartWBB in turnovers forced at 23.5. They average 21.1 ppg (19.8 at home) off turnovers this season. ... In three games last season against Benedictine, Baker's Anna Hignight averaged 12.3 ppg with 7 3-pointers. She is averaging 12.1 this season off the bench. ... Baker is averaging 70.9 ppg over their current winning streak, down from their #HeartWBB season average of 77.7.
UP NEXT: Benedictine remains at home on Saturday to host Missouri Valley College at 2 p.m.
