Strong Second Half Pushes Lady Warriors Past Moundbuilders

Winfield, Kan. – The Lady Warriors added another KCAC win to the season total with a strong second half performance against the Southwestern College Lady Moundbuilders. The two teams were tied at 34 at the half, but Sterling was able to pull away with a strong defense in the third quarter and a dominant offense in the fourth quarter.

Sterling's fast pace typically tires out opponents early in the game, but the Lady Builders shot well from the three point line kept them in it for the first 20 minutes. Karlee Jacobs was a spark off of the bench early on for the Warriors, scoring 5 straight points for Sterling when their offense was stagnant. The last three minutes of the first quarter belonged to Alyssa Heskamp who scored 8 of her 14 points during that time. Sterling held a slim 18-16 lead after the first quarter.

The offense ran through Korynn Clason and Kali Briar in the second quarter as they scored 6 and 5 respectively in the frame. The Lady Warriors were outscored by a basket in the quarter making it 34-34 at halftime.

Sterling's defense stepped up in a big way in the third quarter allowing SWC to score just 10 points in the frame, and shooting just 31% from the field. Offensively, Briar scored 9 big points in the quarter, all on three point shots. Clason sealed the deal in the fourth quarter scoring 10 of her game high 25. She added some crucial free throws down the stretch in the Warriors highest scoring quarter of the night.

Clason had another outstanding performance scoring 25 points, adding 5 blocks, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Briar was not far behind with 22 points and 4 assists. Heskamp added 5 steals to her 14 points and Jacobs added 4 steals.

Sterling shot 41% compared to Southwestern's 35%. The Warriors had a big advantage from the free throw line going 18-26 compared to just 5-7 for the Builders. Sterling was outrebounded 46 to 29 but made up for it by winning the turnover battle by 13 and using their different defensive looks to acquire 20 steals.

Sterling improves to 3-4 this season and 2-1 in KCAC play. This Saturday, Sterling takes on Tabor College with a 5 pm scheduled tipoff. The Bluejays are currently a game ahead of the Warriors in the KCAC with a 3-0 record.  

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.