Spartans Win IIAC Home Opener
Jan 12, 2013 | J.Crane
DUBUQUE, IOWA - The University of Dubuque Women's Basketball picked up their first Iowa Conference win of the season with 76-68 win over Buena Vista on Saturday afternoon on Jon Davison Court. After a back-and-forth first half, the Spartans took control of the second half opening up the biggest lead of the day with a 12 point advantage with 6:45 left in the game. UD improves to 11-3 overall and 1-2 in the IIAC.
The one-two punch of Mollie Whiting (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) and Meggie Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) combined for 46 of the Spartans 76 points. Whiting finished with 25 points for her fourth straight game with over 20 points. Schmidt provided a spark off the bench on her way to 21 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, 4-6 from three, and 3-4 from the free throw line. Schmidt also pulled down four rebounds, blocked two shots, and recorded a team high four steals.
Sophomore Jessica Goetz (Sussex, Wis./Arrowhead) filled up the box score with ten points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals. Fellow sophomore Kayla Springer (Altoona, Wis./Altoona) finished with nine points and four rebounds.
The Spartans started the game quickly with an 8-0 run over the first 3:22 with Whiting accounting for six of the eight points. UD would hold onto the lead throughout the first half before Buena Vista went on an 11-0 run to take a four point lead with 2:45 left. A three pointer by Springer and jumper from Schmidt late in the half would give UD a 31-30 lead heading into halftime.
The teams would trade baskets throughout the first ten minutes of the second half with neither team opening up a lead of more than four. At the 10:30 mark, things would dramatically shift in the Spartans favor as UD went on a 13-1 run over the next three minutes.
UD held a 16-0 advantage in fast break points along with a 30-19 lead in bench points. As a team, Dubuque finished 18-24 from the free throw line.
In three Iowa Conference game this season, Whiting has an IIAC best 89 points. She also moved into fifth place All-Time at UD with 1,349 career points. Whiting trails high school teammate Jennifer Nichols by 192 points for fourth place.
UP NEXT: The Spartans will travel to Pella, Iowa on Wednesday, January 16th to take on Central College (8-6, 1-2 in IIAC). Game time is 6:00 pm. Live Video/Stats available at: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/dbq.portal#
