EUGENE, OR – Sitara Byrd and Darian Herring each had a milestone day on Friday to lead the No. 15 LC State Women’s Basketball team to a 59-43 victory over Bushnell (Ore.). Byrd scored the 1000th points of her career while Herring grabbed her 500th board.
“A big shout out to Sitara Byrd on her 1000 career points. She has been tremendous for us all four years she has been here, and I couldn’t be prouder of her,” coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “A huge congratulations to Darian as well. 500 rebounds as a junior is big time and she has done such a great job of going to get rebounds for us. I look forward to seeing how many more rebounds she can get.”
In all, five Warriors scored in double figures and Herring posted a double-double with 15 rebounds. Lindsey Wilson led LC State in scoring with 11 points while Byrd, Payton Hymas, Herring and Ellee Brockman each tallied 10 points.
“Finding ways to win on the road is vital and I was proud of our team for getting this win today,” Orlandi said. “There were numerous fouls called and the flow of the game was nonexistent, and we battled through it all. I thought our defense forced some tough shots for Bushnell and we held them to 26% from the floor.”
The victory has the LC State record at 11-4 overall and 5-2 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
LC State dominated the first quarter and surged out to a 10-0 lead after six minutes. Byrd opened the contest with a layup that brought her career total to 1,000 points, and Hymas capped the run with free throws. Back-to-back baskets by Herring had the advantage at 14-5 after 10 minutes.
Tatum Brager continued the run into the second quarter. Grace Beardin and Kendall Wallace notched consecutive triples to cap the stretch at 16 points for a 22-5 lead at 6:23. Bushell went on a six-point run before a 3-pointer by Brockman gave the Warriors momentum again at 3:12. The junior hit another 3 before a layup by Hymas had LC State ahead 32-18 at the break.
Herring and Wilson opened the second half with back-to-back baskets before another layup by Wilson had the lead at 40-22 by 7:18. After a scoring drought that lasted most of the frame, Herring ended the third quarter with a jumper for a 42-26 advantage.
Brockman netted another 3 in the first minute of the final frame and a pair of baskets by Hymas made it a 49-34 contest with 6:15 to play. Wilson and Byrd combined for nine points down the stretch before a free throw by Brockman ended the scoring for the Warriors.
STAT RECAP
Herring led the Warriors with 15 rebounds to go with 10 points. Wilson led LC State in scoring with 11 points on a 5-for-7 day from the floor. Byrd scored 10 points with a team-high four assists, five boards, two steals and a block.
Hymas added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Brockman scored 10 points with three 3-pointers along with six boards.
“Darian’s double-double was tremendous, Ellee Brockman got us big offensive boards and shot the 3 well for us, Payton’s stat line was great, and Lindsey was huge for us down the stretch,” Orlandi added.
LC State held Bushnell to 25.9% shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Beacons 53-34.
