An impressive inside performance helped Women's Basketball get off to a strong start after Christmas Break.
The Ravens defeated the William Woods University Owls 85-58 at home Friday, scoring 46 points in the paint.
After an Owls run late in the first quarter and into the early moments of the second quarter gave the visitors an 18-15 lead, the Ravens had a simple but effective answer – get the ball inside. The Ravens scored 20 points with shots directly at the basket in the second quarter and their other 2 points came at the free throw line after Alleigh Kramer was fouled on a shot inside.
After 20 minutes of action, the Ravens held a 37-39 lead, with 30 of those points scored in the paint – Jennifer Jacobs had 20 points for the Ravens in the opening half.
The third quarter was played at a more frantic pace by both teams as turnovers and fouls added up early in the period. The Ravens got comfortable with the pace, pushing their lead to 64-46 heading into the fourth quarter. The outside shots started to catch up to the Ravens inside game as Kennedy Nicholson buried two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Josie Weishaar added her own triple with 5 seconds left in the period.
The Ravens continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, going on to win by 27. Fourteen different Ravens saw action on the court, with 12 of those scoring at least one point. Jacobs finished with a game-high 24 points in 24 minutes of action to go along with 6 rebounds. She was joined in double-figures by Kramer, who scored 13 and had 7 assists, and Nicholson, who had 11 points.
Twilah Carrasquillo was a force inside, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 9 boards in the game. That helped the Ravens earn a decisive 49-24 advantage on the glass, the 11th time in 13 games the Ravens have outrebounded their opponents. Kianna Herrera added 7 points and 6 rebounds in a reserve role.
The win kick-starts the after-Christmas portion of the Ravens schedule. After defeating the Owls, the Ravens (6-7, 3-4 Heart) return to conference play when they take on No. 4 Central Methodist University at at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4 back at home in Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
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