DUBUQUE, IOWA - The University of Dubuque Women's Basketball team faced off with Division III's top scoring team in North Central College (Ill.) on Saturday afternoon in Stoltz. The Spartans went toe-to-toe with NCC (4-3) in route to a 124-99 victory. UD topped 100+ points for the fourth time this season as seven Spartans finished in double figures. Dubuque improved to 5-3 on the year.
The Spartans jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first two minutes with Daneshia Snitker (Waukon, Iowa/Waukon) scoring six points. After the teams went back-and-forth for the next five minutes, UD went on a 15-0 run to take a 39-18 lead at the 9:32 mark of the first half. Dubuque went 5-5 from the free throw line and made five lay-ups. UD made 15 of 17 shots from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line in the first ten minutes.
Jessica Goetz (Sussex, Wis./Arrowhead) led the Spartans with 18 points, six steals, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in 18 minutes. In three games this week, Goetz finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds, 16 assists, 14 steals, and two blocks.
UD opened up its biggest lead of the first half at 53-27 with 5:00 minutes left in the first half on a Meggie Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) free throw. The Spartans finished up the first half with a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint and 18-2 lead in fast break points on their way to a 66-48 lead at halftime. Snitker led all scorers in the first half with 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor. As a team, Dubuque shot 68.4% (26-38) from the field in the first half.
| D-III Leaders in Points per Game | |
| North Central (Ill.) | 96.6 |
| Dubuque | 94.8 |
| Randolph-Macon | 92.4 |
| Hope | 91.0 |
| Ferrum | 90.5 |
The second half was all Dubuque with the Spartans leading by at least 18 the entire second half with the lead peaking at 39 points (118-82) on a Taylor Griffin (Milwaukee, Wis./Rockford Lutheran) jumper at the 4:47 mark. Emily Brinker (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) led UD with 12 second half points and a career high 19 points in the game. Brinker finished with six rebounds (two-offensive/four-defensive), five assists, and three steals.
The second unit once again provided a spark for the Spartans with Adrianna Stephens (Madison, Wis./ LaFollette) leading the bench with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. Brittany Collier (Oswego, Ill./ Oswego) and Jennifer Fischer (Deerfield, Wis./Deerfield) each scored 12 points off the bench.
Dubuque shot a season best 55.8% (48-86) from the field with Snitker, Brinker, and Stephens all shooting 6-8. Brinker was also 7-8 from the free throw line. Snitker finished with a team high seven rebounds.
| Top Single Game Point Totals in UD Women's Basketball History | ||
| December 13, 2013 | vs. North Central University (Minn.) | 127 |
| December 14, 2013 | vs. North Central College (Ill.) | 124 |
| November 26, 2013 | at Blackburn College | 112 |
| December 12, 2002 | vs. Emmaus Bible College | 110 |
| November 23, 2013 | vs. Bethany Lutheran College | 110 |
UP NEXT: The Spartans will travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. on December 20th and 21st for the St. Pete Classic. UD opens with Eureka College on Friday at 7:00 pm before playing Alverno College on Saturday at 4:30 pm.
LIVE Stats for both games can be found at: UD Women's Basketball in Florida
Follow all UD Athletics action on Twitter at: @UDubuqueSports