Carthage women's basketball coach Tim Bernero ran his coaching record to 2-0 against former NBA players on Tuesday, Nov. 26, as his Lady Reds trounced Trine University (0-4), 77-44, on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the Busse Athletic & Recreation Center in Angola, Ind. Trine's head coach is Steve Mix, who played 13 years in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Carthage defeated Mix' Thunder squad last year, 84-34, at Tarble Arena.
Carthage (4-1, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) was ranked 16th in the Nov. 26 "D3hoops.com" poll and 18th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today NCAA Division III poll.
The Lady Reds jumped out to a 9-0 lead at 17:35, but Trine pulled to within a point, 11-10, at 13:53. A 23-4 run pushed Carthage to 34-14 lead at 3:14. Alexis Hahn scored eight-of-23 points in that stretch. The Lady Reds led by 22 points at the break, 38-16, and by 27 points, 47-20, at 17:09 second half. Carthage extended its lead to as much as 39 points late in the second half, 78-39, at 2:50 and went to win by 35, 77-44.
Carthage shot a sizzling 61 percent (31-51), including four-of-eight three-pointers. Trine shot just 31 percent (14-43), including just 19 percent in the first half (4-21) and two-of-12 from three-point range. The Lady Reds out-rebounded the Thunder, 38-23. Trine got to free-throw line 25 times and made just 14, while Carthage hit just 11-of-20 from the stripe.
Michelle Wenzel (Sr., Darien, Wis./Delavan-Darien) led the Lady Reds with 16 points on eight-of-13 field goals, along with seven rebounds. Stephanie Kuzmanic (Sr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Wheeling) had 15 points on seven-of-eight shooting with nine assists, and Alexis Hahn (So., Itasca, Ill./Roselle-Lake Park) came off the bench to add 12 points with four rebounds. Alivia Recker led Trine with 13 points.
"That was a workmanlike effort," said Carthage coach Tim Bernero. "I get a little crazy, because I'm always looking for that perfect game. When we bog down, we get easy to guard. If we move the ball, it opens up chances for our abilities and our depth. Michelle Wenzel has been on a nice roll the last few games. If you're a post player for us, you're going to get a lot of chances to score. Stephanie Kuzmanic knows she can find her, which comes from those two playing together a lot long time. Alexis Hahn was active on the offensive end--she's a very good offensive player. Every game is going to get harder, because there's more tape to look at, and more knowledge that people can use to attack you with. We're getting there, but the Chicago game on Sunday is going to be a tough one. That's big game. They're a really good program, and it's always a good game when we play them."
Carthage travels to Chicago on Sunday, Dec. 1, to take on No. 45 the University of Chicago (3-1) in a 1 p.m. contest at the Gerald Ratner Athletic Center.