LEXINGTON, KY. – Fueled by a strong offensive and defensive effort in the second half Saturday, Jan. 10, Manchester University gave Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III top 20 Transylvania University of Kentucky all it could handle in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
After the Pioneers (12-1 overall, 6-0 HCAC) broke away on a 19-7 run to close the final 9:17 of the first half and hold a 37-22 halftime advantage, the Spartans (6-7 overall, 3-3 HCAC) out-scored their hosts 28-20 in the second frame. Despite falling 57-50, the Black and Gold scrapped away at a 17-point deficit, closing within six in the final two minutes.
While the home side hit at a 41.9 percent clip in the opening 20 minutes, MU put the clamps down in the second stanza, limiting Transylvania to 25 percent shooting and didn't allow a three-point basket. The guard tandem of senior Alyssa Smith (Bluffton, Ind.) and junior Justine Kruger (Francesville, Ind.) each scored six points, and Smith garnered two steals, while senior guard Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) turned in five points and six rebounds to aid the solid second half effort.
Hammond finished the afternoon with a team-high nine points and seven rebounds. Smith and Kruger each tallied eight points, and junior guard Katie Arterburn (Indianapolis, Ind.) and senior forward Abby Lang (Indianapolis, Ind.) ended with seven points apiece. Senior guard Jocelyn Hamilton (Columbus, Ind.) added to the boxscore with team bests in assists (four) and steals (three).
The Spartans begin a span of playing five of their next six games at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena. League rival Anderson University comes to North Manchester Wednesday, Jan. 15, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
NOTES: Hamilton recorded her 10th multiple-assist and fifth multiple-steal game of the year … Hammond's seven boards marked the eighth time she's grabbed five-or-more in a game … The seven-point margin between the two teams resumed a familiar trend inside Clive Beck Hall. In the last three meetings in Lexington, the margin has been 12-points-or-less … TU guard Nicole Coffman topped three Pioneer players in double figures with 18 points.