LEWISTON, ID – No. 13 LC State Women’s Basketball scored at least 90 points for the third consecutive game for the first time since 2015 and seven Warriors scored in double figures in Saturday’s 105-58 victory over The Evergreen State College (Wash.). The Warriors packed the box score with 41 rebounds, 24 assists, 18 steals and forced 27 turnovers.
“A really fun weekend for our team,” coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “Averaging 24 assists a night is something I am extremely proud of. We averaged 40 points a night off of forced turnovers and really did an excellent job of turning our defense into offense.
Kendall Wallace led LC State in scoring with 19 points in a game where every Warrior in the contest scored. Darian Herring finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocked shots.
“Seven players in double digits and one player a basket short of double digits was so special,” Orlandi added. “One of the things I love most about this team is their ability to celebrate the success of their teammates, and this weekend was full of many things to celebrate about each other.”
The victory improves the LC State record to 14-4 overall and 8-2 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
LC State opened the contest on a 12-0 run with baskets by Payton Hymas, Sitara Byrd and Wallace. Another basket by Hymas and a triple by Tatum Brager had the margin at 17-6 by 3:25, and back-to-back layups by Hymas and Herring put the Warriors in front 21-12 after 10 minutes.
Camden Barger and Byrd combined for a short six-point run in the second for a 15-point lead before Hymas kicked off a 12-point rally that featured four steals by the LC State defense. The stretch led to a 45-20 advantage with 3:12 to play in the half. Barger hit a 3 in the final minute of the frame before a free throw by Grace Beardin sent the Warriors to the locker room in front 51-27.
Wilson ignited the offense in the third quarter with the first four points of a 10-point run. A triple by Ellee Brockman and back-to-back baskets by Barger and Brager had LC State in front 77-38 with one quarter to play. Freshman Madalyn Green pushed the Warriors over the 100-point mark with 1:56 to play before Bella Firnkoess closed out the victory.
STAT RECAP
Wallace led the Warriors with 19 points on a 3-for-6 night from 3-point range. Hymas added 17 points with five steals and four assists, and Wilson tallied 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Barger scored a career-high 11 points to go with five assists while Herring, Byrd and Brager each added 10 points. Herring and Byrd each grabbed eight rebounds and Herring completed her night with five assists, five steals and three blocks. Beardin grabbed a career-best seven rebounds.
“Payton Hymas went on an absolutely fantastic run and was just so incredibly tough,” Orlandi said. “She was able to snag five hard earned steals tonight and her defense was spectacular. Darian Herring did her thing stuffing the stat sheet and had some beautiful assists tonight. Kendall Wallace was great offensively tonight, Camden Barger attacked the basket confidently and I could go on and on about every player and am very proud of everyone’s play today.”
The Warriors shot 54.7% from the field and were 14-for-16 (87.5%) from the free throw line. LC State commanded the boards with a 41-28 rebound advantage, dished out 24 assists on 41 made baskets and totaled 18 steals. After forcing 25 turnovers on Friday, the Warriors forced 27 on Saturday that resulted in 35 points.
“A great weekend for our team, but now we have to look forward,” Orlandi added. “Two incredibly tough teams are coming into our gym next week and we are going to get to preparing for them and looking at ways we can get better.”
Evergreen State’s Jenna Glenzel led the contest with 21 points and Bayleigh Harder added 16 points with nine rebounds. Amaya Afatasi dished out six assists.
