Labrenthia Murdock nets 17; Lewis women win 5th straight
From Submitted Reports January 4, 2013 11:02AM
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Lewis women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games with a 78-55 victory in the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener against Drury on Thursday.
“We again had great balance and played with great energy,” Lewis coach Lisa Carlsen said. “We were aggressive against their pressure and rebounded well.”
The teams opened the contest with two ties and two lead changes with in the first four minutes. An aggressive Lewis squad kept Drury (6-4, 0-2) on its heels, out-rebounding the Lady Panters 26-20, earning a 4-0 edge in fast-break points and a 10-8 edge off the bench.
The Flyers (8-1, 1-0) went on an 11-2 run to close the first half with a 38-27 lead. Drury cut it to two points with 3:19 left, but the Flyers hit three straight three-pointers, including two by freshman Alyssa Dengler, to take a commanding lead. Dengler posted a career-high eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and pulled down two rebounds.
Sophomore guard Nikki Nellen led the Flyers with nine of her 11 points in the first half and matched a career-high nine assists.
In the second half, senior Labrenthia Murdock helped Lewis continue to put pressure on Drury. Murdock found her shooting stroke, scoring 12 of her 17 points with two three-pointers, four free throws and a jump shot.
The Flyers’ lead expanded to 28 on two free throws by sophomore Kristin Itschner at the 4:27 mark. Itschner finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Sophomore Jess Reinhart scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds while senior Sam Rinehart scored 11 points and corralled eight rebounds.
The Flyers finished with 52-39 rebounding advantage to help win their fifth road game of the season. Drury was led by Emilie Gray with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Lewis continues on the road in GLVC action when it takes on Missouri S&T at 1 p.m. Saturday in Rolla, Mo.
