Women's Basketball advanced to the semifinals of the Heart Postseason Championship with a win at home against the No. 5-seed Mount Mercy University Mustangs Wednesday night.
The Ravens, the Heart's No. 4 seed, used dominant starts to both halves to pick up the 75-59 victory.
Up by 7 after one half of play, the Ravens outscored the Mustangs 24-13 in the third quarter to grab control of the game. Aaliyah Raines scored 12 of her team-high 19 points in the third quarter to lead the way.
The Mustangs tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, but each time the visitors made a charge, the Ravens had an answer. MMU was unable to ever get within single digits in the final period as the Ravens knocked down 10 free throws to close out the 16-point win.
Raines added 5 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal to her team-high point total. Alleigh Kramer scored 16 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and Kennedy Nicholson had 12 points, 4 boards and 2 assists.
A true team win, the Ravens got contributions from everyone who took the floor. Jennifer Jacobs and Kyra Misuraca each grabbed 8 rebounds, Riley Rottinghaus blocked three shots, Josie Weishaar had 8 points and 4 boards, and Lauryn Dubbert and Nicole Storck had 4 and 3 rebounds, respectively. In total, the Ravens outrebounded the Mustangs 47-30.
Annika Headington had a game-high 24 for the Mustangs, but the Ravens held Madison Dreckman to 10 points on 20 shots – Dreckman had scored 24 and 23 points in the teams' two regular season meetings.
The first quarter couldn't have gone better for the Ravens. Showing tremendous energy, the Ravens outrebounded the Mustangs 14-7 and also blocked a pair of MMU shots. Offensively, the Ravens knocked down 4-of-7 from 3-point range, including a buzzer-beater by Kramer to give the Ravens a 20-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Ravens pushed their lead to as many as 16 points early in the second quarter, but the Mustangs fought their way back, slowly chipping away at the deficit. By halftime, the Ravens lead had been cut to 30-23.
Next up for the Ravens (19-10) will be a trip to top-seeded and No. 5-ranked Clarke University. The Pride are 28-1 on the season with their only loss coming at home against the Ravens, 62-61, on Jan. 20. The Ravens and Pride will play Saturday, March 2 with a time to be determined – check www.ravenathletics.com for updates on Saturday's game time.
