ATLANTA, GA. – Bolstered by a strong first half shooting performance, Wartburg College kept its early season win streak intact Dec. 21.
The Knights, going to 10-0, jumped out to a 22-9 lead on the University of Texas at Tyler less than nine minutes in and didn't look back. Due to hitting better than 60 percent from the field and beyond the arc, coach Bob Amsberry's team sailed into halftime with a 51-20 cushion. The Orange and Black increased the margin to as high as 39 in the second frame.
Wartburg wound up at 51.7 percent from the field for the game (30 of 58) and held a 42-33 rebounding edge. Senior center Katie Zittergruen of Van Horne, winding up a 32-point outing in the Oglethorpe University tournament, led four players in double figures with 18. She proved key on defense (five steals and a blocked shot) and on the boards (four rebounds), too.
Senior guard Samantha Harrington of Nashua (11 points, six assists and three steals), junior forward Emily Timmermans of Vinton (11 points and five rebounds) and freshman forward Carly Jacobs of Allison (10 points) joined Zittergruen in double-figure scoring. Timmermans, junior forward Terri Dirks of Monticello and sophomore forward Maddie Sadecky of Iowa City shared the rebounding lead.
Amsberry's team returns home to begin a four-game home stand Wednesday, Dec. 29. The Knights take on Northwestern College of St. Paul, Minn., at 6 p.m. in the second game of the 2010 AmericInn Holiday Tournament. UW-Stout and Principia College of Illinois open the day with a 4 p.m. tip-off.
NOTES – Harrington reeled off her eighth consecutive double-figure scoring contest. She also registered five-or-more assists for the fifth time. … Zittergruen, with the two tourney games included, has been in double-figure scoring in three of her last four games. Her scoring average is up nearly two points (8.5-10-3) in the span. … Timmermans has seen similar results, scoring 10-or-more in two of her last three games. Her scoring average has jumped two full points (2.4-4.4) in the span. … With the 80-point production, the squad's scoring average has risen over three points (67-70.1) over the last three games. … The Knights' defense limited an opponent to 46-points-or-less for the third time this year.