COLLEGE PLACE, WA – The No. 10 LC State Women’s Basketball team showed its defensive prowess on Tuesday when it routed Walla Walla (Wash.) 88-27. The Warriors allowed just nine points in the first half and less than 10 in each quarter.
“Great defensive effort tonight by our team,” coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “I thought we came out ready to defend right from the opening minute. We played great in the passing lanes and forced 26 turnovers. We also ended the game with a lot of deflections that don’t show up in the stat sheet.”
LC State held WWU to 20.9% shooting from the field and did not allow a 3-pointer. The 27 points allowed is tied for the sixth-lowest point total by a Warrior opponent and is the least allowed since 2015. The victory moves the LC State record to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in Cascade Conference play.
“A great team win,” Orlandi added. “We shared the ball well, played tough defense, and stayed intense the whole game.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sitara Byrd drained a 3-pointer on the first possession of the contest and Payton Hymas turned a steal into a layup for a 5-0 advantage early. Walla Walla answered with a run of four to cut the margin to one before buckets by Hymas, Byrd, Ellee Brockman, Kendall Wallace and Ella Nelson combined for a 16-point swing to grow the lead to 21-4 by the end of the first quarter.
Walla Walla held LC State off the board for the first three minutes of the second quarter before Brockman struck for five straight points on her own to make it 26-6 at 6:39. Byrd netted another triple and Hymas and Darian Herring added to the total for a 36-9 cushion at the half.
The Wolves were held to one field goal in each of the first two quarters.
Byrd scored nine points in the first three minutes of the second half and Herring added seven to push the score to 52-14 by 4:13. Camden Barger scored, and Tatum Brager hit a pair of 3s for a 60-18 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
Lindsey Wilson tallied an and-1 play and Brockman kept the offense going with back-to-back buckets to push the run to seven points, then tallies by Madalyn Green, Nelson and Hymas combined for another seven to make it 74-21 midway through the frame. Nelson and Wallace drained back-to-back 3-pointers, and Brockman, Grace Beardin and Bella Firnkoess totaled a six-point rally for an 86-25 margin in the final two minutes. Barger added a final basket to end the game with a score of 88-27.
STAT RECAP
Byrd led all scorers with 17 points on a 6-for-8 night from the field. She was 4-for-5 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds and three steals. Brockman scored a career-high 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and Hymas scored 12 with four assists and four steals.
“Sitara was great offensively and came ready to score the ball,” Orlandi said. “Ellee Brockman played the best offensive game she has played in a Warrior uniform and when she attacks the basket great things happen for us.”
Herring led the defense with eight boards and was perfect from the floor at 4-for-4 for nine points. Barger dished out four assists with three steals, and Nelson filled up the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Freshman Green had a career night with five rebounds and two blocked shots.
“Madalyn Green is playing well for us and is so incredibly coachable. She does a great job making adjustments,” Orlandi added. “Camden is defending so well right now and is playing with great confidence.”
The Warriors shot 49.3% as a team and drained 11 3-pointers at a 40.7% rate. Every Warrior in the contest scored at least two points. LC State forced 26 turnovers for 33 points and held Walla Walla to a 20.9% mark from the field. The Wolves were 0-for-16 from 3-point range.
