FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 9-ranked Indiana Tech women's basketball opened up Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament play with a 90-61 victory against Madonna, seeded eighth in the tournament on Thursday night at the Schaefer Center. With the win the Warriors tied the record for the most wins in program history.
Keanna Gary recorded a game-high 30 points and five rebounds to lead the Warriors.
Kendall Knapke would follow with 18 points and seven rebounds of her own, while
Haley Cook finished the night with 17 points and six rebounds.
Rachel Bell registered five points and 13 assists, while
DeAnn Kauffman came off the bench to add 10 points and five rebounds for Tech.
The Warriors opened the contest on an 11-0 run behind eight points from Knapke. Dominating offense would give Tech a 12-point advantage as they seized a 21-9 lead at the 3:33 mark of the first quarter. Madonna slowly begin to answer back, cutting the lead down to five with under a minute remaining, but it was the Warriors who would hold on and finish the opening frame ahead 23-16.
Knapke opened the second quarter with a layup to continue Tech's offensive run from the opening quarter. The Crusaders spent the next four minutes chipping away at the deficit, trailing just 27-26 at the 5:15 mark. The Orange and Black would work to hold off their visitors for the remained of the quarter though, and continue as the sole leaders of the game. Kauffman hit a shot with just four seconds left to put the Warriors ahead 36-30 at the half. Gary would lead all scorers with 15 points at the break.
After a tight offensive second quarter, Tech's offense would surge in the third, beginning on a three from
Bella Lozano-Dobbs just under two minutes gone into the third. That nine-point lead would grow to 12 as the Warriors gained control of the game with a 49-37 score at the 4:18 mark. Just over two minutes later, a three from Cook would put Tech ahead by 19, which would eventually give way to a 23-point margin, the highest of the game, with just under a minute left in the quarter. The Orange and Black would hold Madonna to just 11 points in the ten-minute frame and head to the fourth ahead 62-41.
The dominating play continued for Tech into the final 10 minutes of regulation with Cook staying hot to give the hosts a 74-48 lead off a three-pointer at the 7:24 mark. The lead would grow into the five-minute mark as the Warriors made a statement with a 32-point lead at 82-50. Madonna had no answer for Tech's dominating second half performance and looked up at an 88-56 hole with just over two minutes in regulation while the Orange and Black went on to grab the 90-61 victory over the Crusaders.
The Warriors (28-3) will host fifth-seeded Concordia (Mich.) in the WHAC Tournament Semifinals this Saturday with tip set for 1 p.m. at the Schaefer Center.
