Women's Basketball Cruises to WHAC Victory Over Defiance

(Lansing, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar women's basketball won their second game out of three to start the new year Saturday, after defeating the visiting Defiance College Yellow Jackets 67-44 in Lansing.

The two teams started the game sluggishly, but Cleary would jump out to an early 8-1 lead, thanks to a quartet of easy baskets.  After a Defiance layup, Samantha Hoelscher scored a layup to regain the seven point advantage at 10-3.  Defiance would cut into that lead late in the quarter to make the score 11-7, but Cleary would score five unanswered points from Amy Jackson and Mileisha Rodriguez to give the Cougars a 16-7 lead after the first ten minutes.  

Rylee Thomas started the second quarter with a made three pointer of her own, and Amy Jackson hit her second of the game to grow the Cougar lead to fifteen points.  After the Yellow Jackets would hit a three to cut the lead to thirteen points with just under seven minutes to play in the half, Amy Jackson hit another three.  Both teams would cool off to finish the half, with Cleary scoring five points in the final five minutes while shutting out the Yellow Jackets to lead 36-18 at the break.

In the third quarter, the Cougars defense continued to stifle Defiance, and the offense did their job, as the lead would grow to over twenty points by the midway mark of the quarter.  The lead would grow to as many as thirty-one points with 6:37 to play in the game for the Cougars.  The Yellow Jackets would go on a late run to cut the lead back within twenty points after the Cougars rotated in some non-starters, but Cleary would right the ship and finish the game strong, earning the twenty-three point victory.

The twenty-three point margin of victory was the largest win in school history, surpassing the twenty-two point win over Michigan-Dearborn last February 17.  The win was also Cleary's sixth of the season, matching last season's total for the whole year.  

Samantha Hoelscher led all scorers with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals.  Izzy Dugal was the only other Cougar in double-digits with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Taedom Stein added 8 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in the win.

Cleary improves to 6-10 overall, 5-4 in the WHAC.  The Cougars will hit the road on Wednesday, January 15, when they take on the Madonna Crusaders at 5:30 PM.