College Place, Wash. - The Bison of Salish Kootenai College visited Windemuth Court for a Sunday afternoon matchup versus Walla Walla University. The Wolves (1-4) were coming off a tough loss on Saturday night in which they played well throughout the second half. They undoubtedly were looking to assemble a complete game in the same manner.
The game was a sluggish one in the opening five minutes. Walla Walla had only managed three points until
Titi Graham buried a triple to give the Wolves a 6-2 lead. The two teams continued to flounder on the offensive end for the remainder of the first quarter. However, all existing momentum belonged to the Wolves after senior guard
Marlena Vargas made a nice steal with only five seconds left, and fed Reagan Williams for the fast-break layup. The Wolves led 11-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Walla Walla was rejuvenated offensively in the early stages of the second quarter, benefiting from back-to-back threes from
Itzel Rubio and Reagan Williams, and ballooning their lead to twelve at 17-5. The Wolves continued to maintain a healthy double-digit lead throughout the second quarter thanks to their teflon defense, and overzealous shooting fouls by the Bison (0-6). The offensive play of
Aaliyah Anderson and Rubio propelled the Wolves in the first half as they both finished with seven points at the break, helping Walla Walla to a 30-14 lead.
The first few minutes of the second half featured a Wolves' offense percolating with a very cohesive performance, as they extended their lead to over twenty at 45-23. The Bison had no answer for the offensive prowess of
Aaliyah Anderson in the third. Anderson was swooping and hooping with ten points in the third quarter alone as the Wolves continued to inflate their lead. The two teams headed into the fourth with Walla Walla in full control at 56-28.
The Wolves continued to trust in steady ball distribution for the remainder of the game, with four different players scoring in double figures. They maintained their comfortable advantage throughout the fourth quarter, winning the game by a score of 69-46.
Aaliyah Anderson detonated the Bison defense, finishing with 23 points on 8-15 shooting, and 9 rebounds.
Itzel Rubio also enjoyed a stellar performance, turning in 14 points on 6-10 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Over the three games this weekend,
Titi Graham has been a player whose production cannot be overlooked. After an 8 point, 10 rebound performance on Saturday, Graham turned in another near double-double effort on Sunday afternoon, finishing with 7 points and 11 rebounds.
Coach
Paul Starkebaum spoke after the win. "We had a busy weekend and we talked pregame if today we would take another step forward or back," Starkebaum said. "We definitely took a step forward which is important with a young team. Very proud of what we did both today and last night.
Morgan Stanyer is doing a great job of being a leader.
Itzel Rubio and
Aaliyah Anderson are making huge improvements on the court each day. We will need to find another level of discipline as we prepare for an excellent Whitman team."
The Wolves have a much tougher test ahead of them, as they gear up for an away game at Whitman University on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:00p.m.
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