FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's basketball team won their second straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference game behind a career-high 28 points from Taylor Carver, defeating Aquinas 73-67 on Dan Kline Court in the Schaefer Center on Saturday afternoon.

It was a battle all afternoon with eight lead changes and five ties in the contest, but the Warriors (9-12, 8-5) did enough to win. After Carver won the opening tip senior point guard, Rayana Villalpando, found an open Taylor Seiss behind the arc for the games first points. The Saints (6-14, 5-7 WHAC) responded with five straight points to take their first lead, but it was short lived as Villalpando connected with Seiss again for a three-pointer, sparking a 9-0 run with two Seiss threes and a Baylee Rinehart triple to make it 12-5 Warriors. Aquinas again answered with a run to tie the game at 12 and for the next 11 minutes neither team could take control, with neither team leading by more than two points, until a pair of Jessica Silva free throws gave Tech a four-point advantage. The Orange and Black closed the half on a 9-4 run to take a seven-point, 39-32 lead into the break.

The Warriors never trailed in the second half, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a tight game. A 7-2 Tech run started the half and opened a 12-point margin, but a 17-6 run by the visitors over the next seven minutes cut the lead to just one, 52-51 with 10:34 to play. A pair of Villalpando free throws gave Tech some breathing room and another Seiss trey pushed the lead back to six. After an Aquinas basket, the Warriors scored eight of the next 10 points to push the lead back to double-digits, 65-55. The Saints didn't quit and cut the lead to two, 69-67 with 17 seconds to play, but Carver and Villalpando hit their free throws in the waning seconds to seal the win.

Tech finished 24-for-62 (38.7%) from the floor, 8-for-24 (33.3%) from behind the arc and 17-for-20 (85%) from the line while grabbing 44 rebounds and dishing out 20 assists. The Saints finished the game shooting 40.3 percent (27-for-67) from the field and grabbed 39 rebounds.

Carver finished with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with her 28 points, shooting 11-of-19 from the field and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Seiss added 18 points and Rinehart finished with 13 points and eight boards while Villalpando tallied eight assists.

The Warriors wrap up their three-game homestand against Marygrove on Wednesday, Jan. 21 with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The game is also part of Coaches vs. Cancers Suits & Sneakers week in which schools around the country will raise money and awareness for this deadly disease. There will be several ways in which you can participate at the game.

To stay up-to-date on all things Indiana Tech, be sure and follow the Warriors on Facebook and Twitter. You can also get updates sent directly to your phone by registering for SMS updates.

Women's Basketball Contact: Zachary Shore | 260-422-5561 x. 2492 | zrshore@indianatech.edu
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