Jan 09, 2013
Senior Kayla Taormina scored her 1,000th career point as the Bethany College women's basketball team set a season high for scoring in a 77-58 victory at Chatham Wednesday night.
The victory snaps a four-game losing skid for the Bison, who improve to 5-9 overall and 3-4 in the PAC, while the Cougars fall to 2-12 and 1-6 in the league.
Three consecutive buckets by freshman Brianna Nuzum keyed a 12-4 spurt by BC to open the game, but the home team responded. A three from Anna Shashura capped a 12-4 run by the Cougars that gave them a 23-20 advantage, their largest lead of the night. Taormina, who entered the game needing just two points to get to 1,000, hit the milestone on a lay-up with 6:20 to play in the first half.
That would be the first of three consecutive baskets scored by Taormina, whose third score was a jumper to put Bethany back in front 28-27 and the Green and White never trailed again. Bethany finished the half with an 8-2 run to build a 34-29 lead at the break.
The Bison used two runs in the second half to seize control of the contest. The first was a quick 8-0 burst that swelled their lead to 46-32. After the BC lead had grown to 18, Chatham made its final move to get back in the game, using a 10-1 surge to trim the Bison lead in half to 53-44 midway through the second half.
Bethany ensured the Cougars would not move any closer by attacking the rim. The Bison ripped off 18 of the game's next 20 points, with all nine hoops coming in the paint, as the Green and White moved out to a 71-46 lead. Thirty-eight of Bethany's 43 points in the second half came in the lane and the Bison finished the game outscoring the Cougars 62-16 in the paint as they set season-highs for points and field goal percentage (49.3 percent).
Taormina's record-setting night saw her finish with nine points, in addition to six rebounds and six assists, as she became the 16th women's player in Bethany history to surpass 1,000 career points. Now with 1,007, she has already moved to 15th on the all-time scoring list. Next on the rankings in Anne Wilson, who scored 1,078 points in her career which ended just last year.
Three Bison netted double digit points in the victory, led by Nuzum, who was 7-of-9 from the field to set a career-high with 14 markers. Junior Taylor Verrico reached double figures for the sixth consecutive contest with 13 and freshman Mikyla Tipton also tallied 13.
Pacing Chatham's efforts in the game was forward Carly Zelenak with 19 points.
After completing their three-game road swing Wednesday, Bethany returns home to host Washington & Jefferson Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.