FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 14-ranked Indiana Tech women's basketball team stepped back into nonconference action Saturday afternoon as they defeated crosstown rival and No. 21-ranked University of Saint Francis, 72-64, at the Schaefer Center, to extend its winning streak to eight games.
Haley Cook led all scorers with 21 points while adding five assists and four rebounds while
Kendall Knapke had 16 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
DeAnn Kauffman chipped in 11 points off the bench while
Keanna Gary and
Rachel Bell had nine points each and added 11 and eight rebounds, respectively.
Cook would start things off with a triple to give Tech the first lead of the game, but the Cougars would respond with a 6-0 spurt following back-to-back three pointers from Daysiane Hilton. Tech would come back to tie the game up at 6-6 with 6:21 left in the first quarter, but Saint Francis would retake the three possessions later and hold it for the rest of the period and led 21-15 after 10 minutes of action.
USF would extend their lead out to eight points in the second quarter, using a 12-6 spurt to counter a 7-0 run from the Warriors late in the period. The hosts would cut the deficit in half just before half time though, using a pair of free throws from
Isis Parker and a layup from
Bella Lozano-Dobbs to make it a 38-34 following 20 minutes of play.
The Warriors would come out strong in the third quarter, using a 8-3 run in the opening four and a half minutes of the half to take a 42-41 lead. The visitors would respond with a 5-0 spurt to retake the lead. A Knapke three pointer would tie the game up at 45-45 with 3:12 remaining in the quarter and while the Cougars would get the lead back on their next possession with a three of their own, Cook would sink a triple the next time down the court to knot the game at 48 while the two-time All-American would sink a pair of free throws with 88 seconds left in the third to give Tech a 50-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars would get the lead back with a triple to start off the final period of regulation, but Cook would respond again with a three-pointer to make it 53-51 Tech. With the game knotted up at 55-55 with 7:27 left in the game, the Warriors would use a 7-2 run to take a 62-57 lead with just over three minutes on the clock.
A three-pointer from Josie Murphy would cut the Tech lead to 62-60 with 2:42 to go, but Knapke would drain a triple after an offensive board from Gary to push the lead back up five with 75 seconds to play. Another basket from Murphy would make it 65-62 Tech with 56 seconds to go, but the Warriors would go 7-8 from the free throw line in the final 50 seconds, while USF could only muster two points from the charity stripe as Tech took the battle of Fort Wayne, 72-64.
Tech (9-1) returns to Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) action on Saturday, December 2, as they start a quick two-game road trip with a visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan to take on Cornerstone. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. from Mol Arena.
