Ravens Women's Basketball returned to their home gym with a win Thursday night.
The Ravens knocked off the Culver-Stockton College Wildcats 70-57 in Atchison after a three-game road trip.
The Ravens got off to a fast start and held a 15-point lead at halftime, but the Wildcats wouldn't lay down. Culver chipped into the Ravens lead in the third quarter, at one point lowering their deficit to 9 points at 49-40. However, Aaliyah Raines and the Ravens had an answer. Raines scored 11 points in the quarter and the Ravens closed out the third on a 9-2 run to take a 58-42 lead into the fourth and final frame.
The Ravens maintained their double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, winning by 13 points. Skylar Washington had a team-high 20 points to go along with 3 assists. Raines scored 14 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 3 rebounds. Kennedy Nicholson added 12 points and 4 assists and Ali Brzozowski chipped in 8 points.
The Ravens shot the ball well, hitting 48% from the field and 48% from behind the 3-point arc while holding the Wildcats to 42% shooting from the field and 31% from deep.
The first quarter belonged to the Ravens from the opening seconds. The home squad rocketed to an 8-0 lead and held a 23-7 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play.
The Ravens used hot shooting from the outside to help take their early lead. Averaging 26.8% shooting from 3-point range heading into Thursday's contest, the Ravens knocked down 4-of-7 from deep in the first quarter, setting the tone for their shooting ability all night.
The Wildcats showed life right away in the second quarter. Culver-Stockton started the second frame with back-to-back steals and layups to cut into the Ravens lead. However, Washington kept a hot hand from the outside, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first half to lead the way with 17 points at halftime. The Ravens held a 39-24 lead at the break, then answered Culver's run in the third quarter to maintain control of the game.
The Ravens (14-6, 6-4 Heart) will hit the road once again for their next contest, a Saturday, Jan. 22 game at William Penn University.
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