Women's Basketball picked up a big win at home Wednesday night.
The Ravens defeated the Central Methodist University Eagles 65-57, their first win against CMU since Jan. 9, 2021.
The Ravens held a lead from start to finish Wednesday, and did exactly what they needed to do down the stretch to close out the win. The Eagles continued to fight back, closing to within 2 points twice in the final period, but the Ravens were up to the task.
An Aaliyah Raines basket answered the first time the Eagles got within 2, then Riley Wade answered the next time – first with a free throw and then a basket to put the Ravens up by 5 points.
With the Eagles scrambling to come back, the Ravens were clutch at the free throw line in the final minute. Nicole Storck, Kennedy Nicholson and Lauryn Dubbert each made pairs of free throws to ice the game.
When the Eagles defeated the Ravens in their first meeting in November, it was CMU controlling the boards. That wasn't the case Wednesday as the Ravens outrebounded the Eagles 50-37, including 16-9 on the offensive glass.
Raines had a team-high 10 points. Jennifer Jacobs added 9 points, while Wade, Storck and Alleigh Kramer each had 8 points. Dubbert had 10 rebounds, and Raines and Kyra Misuraca both grabbed 7 boards.
The Ravens took a 9-point lead into halftime thanks to strong offense in the paint and an opportunistic defense.
The Ravens recorded 8 steals in the opening 20 minutes which created 14 points. The Ravens also were dangerous in the paint, scoring 22 points inside and they got to the free throw line 11 times, making nine shots. That made up for their outside shooting in the first half as they made just 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
The Eagles came out strong in the third quarter, cutting the Ravens lead to 2 points with 2:42 left in the period, but the Ravens had an answer. Kennedy Nicholson knocked down a pair of free throws and Alleigh Kramer drained a 3-pointer to put the Ravens back up by 7 points. They maintained that lead heading into the fourth quarter, leading 49-42, and then closed out the game for the win.
The Ravens (13-6, 11-4 Heart) will take a three-game winning streak on the road for a 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 game at William Penn.
