By Alan Wiederhold
Sports Information Director
LeTourneau University
PINEVILLE, La. – The No. 20 Louisiana College Wildcats scored 58 points in the second half to pull away from LeTourneau and claim a 95-55 win Saturday over the YellowJackets.
Roslyn Wilmer scored a game-high 23 points to lead four Louisiana College players scoring in double-figures. Natosha Gottlieb added 12 points for the Wildcats.
Sharday Cotton (Mansfield, La./LSU-Shreveport) scored 12 points and hauled in a game-high 18 rebounds to lead the YellowJackets. It was Cotton's seventh double-double of the season.
La'Queda Davis (Houston, Texas/Waltrip) scored 14 points for LeTourneau, and Jessica Manas (Fort Worth, Texas/Haltom) chipped in nine points for the YellowJackets (11-10, 7-10 ASC East).
The Wildcats (18-2) remained in sole possession of first place in the American Southwest Conference's East Division standings with a 15-1 league record. Louisiana College moved up three places to No. 20 this past week in the d3hoops.com Women's Basketball poll.
The Jackets fell a half-game behind the Ozarks (Ark.) for the fourth and final playoff berth out of the ASC East. The Ozarks' game against Centenary on Saturday does not count in the league standings.
The Jackets were able to keep pace with the Cats in the first half, but Louisiana College's depth wore down the visitors as the game progressed. Ten different players played at least 15 minutes in the game for the Wildcats, who would frequently sub in five players at a time.
A total of 12 players scored at least three points for the Wildcats on Saturday.
LeTourneau struck first and opened a 7-0 lead over the opening three minutes, but the Wildcats responded with a 14-0 run that lasted until the 12:09 mark of the period.
Despite having fresh legs in on virtually every deadball, the Wildcats were unable to run away with the game in the first half. The Jackets erased an 11-point deficit with a 13-2 run between the 6:15 and 1:15 marks of the half to tie the score at 33.
Davis scored six points – all from the free throw line – during the run, and Lauren Llanes (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) chipped in four points.
LC's depth eventually wore down LeTourneau in the second half, as the Wildcats tallied 58 points after halftime. LC also shot 22 3-point tries in the second period, making nine of them for a 41 percent showing.
The Jackets, who as a team only shoot 28 percent from 3-point range, opted to get points inside Saturday. The team shot a season-low five 3-pointers but ended up taking 36 free throw attempts, their second-highest total this season.
The YellowJackets conclude their road schedule next week when they visit Centenary and East Texas Baptist. The Jackets face Centenary in Shreveport, La., on Thursday, with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m.