Defense Propels NSU Past Bearcats
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern St. (13-1) | 29 | 35 | 64 |
| McKendree (6-12) | 29 | 27 | 56 |
| Lebanon, IL (MPCC) | |||
| Northeastern St. | McKendree |
|---|---|
| Pts: Megan Fraley - 19 | Pts: Ponce,Caty - 18 |
| Reb: Sarah Green - 9 | Reb: Woodland,Emily - 8 |
| Ast: Jasmine Wright - 4 | Ast: Willis,Brittany - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Northeastern St. | McKendree |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 37.7% (20-53 ) | 48.8% (21-43 ) |
| Rebounds | 30 | 27 |
| Assists | 11 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 27 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 1 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 12 | 12 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 12 |
LEBANON, Ill. --- Northeastern State parlayed 20 McKendree turnovers into 27 points and that proved to be the difference in a 64-58 RiverHawks' win here Monday night.
NSU, which improved to 13-1 on the year, got 19 points from Megan Fraley and 15 each from Taylor Lewis and Cristy Nitz to win its seventh straight. McKendree fell to 6-12.
Fraley scored 12 of her game-high total in the opening half but the Bearcats were equal to the challenge by forging a 29-all deadlock at intermission. Fraley, a senior guard, had six in the first five minutes to help NSU construct a 12-5 margin.
McKendree, led by freshman guard Caty Ponce's 18 points, stayed close and answered every Northeastern State rally. Ponce made a pair of free throws to give the Bearcats a 47-46 edge with 6:36 left.
However, Fraley responded :18 later with two charity tosses to put NSU ahead for good and that began a 9-0 spurt that gave the RiverHawks an insurmountable 54-47 lead with 4:14 to play. During the run, Nitz hit a layup, Lewis drilled a 3-point bucketand SarahGreen scored her only basket of the night.
McKendree drew within 54-52 with five straight points on two FTs from Danielle Amann-Stewa and a Ponce triple before Nitz canned a jumper and NSU made eight consecutive free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
Northeastern State managed only 37.7 shooting on the night (20-of-53), but came up with a season-high 14 steals with Tosha Tyler collecting five thefts. Fraley was outstanding, hitting 4-of-6 overall, 4-of-5 from behind the arc and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to lead the RiverHawks.
The Bearcats shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half and finished 21-of-43, for 48.8 percent.
Green's nine rebounds led both teams' efforts on the boards.
Northeastern State will return home to host rival Central Oklahoma on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Dobbins Field House. It will be the first of four games between the RiverHawks and Bronchos during the regular season.
