Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder women's basketball team picked up its sixth consecutive victory on Saturday, as the Thunder earned a 91-79 victory against Roosevelt University. Five Wheaton players scored in double digits to lead the Thunder offense.
Wheaton, ranked 19th in this week's D3hoops.com Top-25 poll improves to 7-1 overall. Roosevelt, ranked fifth in the most recent NAIA Division II Top-25 poll, falls to 9-3 on the year.
Wheaton led 11-10 through the first eight minutes of the game, however, the Lakers put together a 10-2 run to take a 20-13 lead with 8:00 left in the first half. The Thunder chipped away at the Lakers' lead as Roosevelt held a 35-34 lead at halftime.
Wheaton scored the first seven points of the second half as Wheaton jumped out to a 41-35 lead in the first two minutes of the second half. Wheaton out-scored Roosevelt 16-4 in the first five minutes of the second half as the Thunder owned a 50-39 lead with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. The Lakers responded with a tremendous offensive surge in a span of two minutes using an 11-0 run to tie the game at 50-50 with 13:25 left in the game. A basket and a free throw by Wheaton freshman Katie McDaniels gave Wheaton a 53-50 lead with 12:40 left in regulation. The Thunder never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Ellie Zeller and McDaniels each scored 16 points in the second half to pace the Thunder effort. Wheaton shot a 58.8% (20-34) field goal percentage in the second half and the Thunder posted a sparkling 94.1% (16-17) effort at the free throw line.
McDaniels led Wheaton with 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field. She also contributed three assists and three steals. Zeller scored 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the floor and she added five rebounds with four assists. Maris Hovee scored 13 points and she grabbed 13 rebounds, with three assists. Maria Panaggio scored 12 points, with five rebounds. Lauren Graham scored 11 points, with five rebounds.
The Thunder will travel to Clarke College (Iowa) on December 14.