Lady Blazers fall to Region 24 rival No. 14 Wabash Valley

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers have had some pretty tough matchups so far this season, but Wednesday night might have been their toughest test yet.

The Lady Blazers fell at home to No. 14-ranked Wabash Valley College by the final score of 101-53 after a big third quarter scoring run helped put the game away for the Lady Warriors.

Vincennes held strong against the Lady Warriors early in the first quarter with the game remaining even until Wabash Valley grabbed control early with a 10-0 scoring run.

After a pair of VU baskets, Wabash Valley would close out the first period of play with a 9-0 scoring run to give the Warriors a 25-10 lead.

The two teams traded baskets early in the second quarter, with the Warriors keeping their lead in double-figures before closing out the first half on a 7-0 scoring run to take a 46-27 advantage into the halftime break.

Coming out of the locker room the Blazers looked to make a move to cut into the lead, but after scoring the first points of the second half, the Warriors would go on to outscore the Lady Blazers 34-4.

Wabash Valley looked firmly in the driver's seat after three quarters of play, with the Lady Warriors holding an 84-36 lead on the scoreboard.

Vincennes tried to mount a miraculous comeback in the fourth quarter but were unable to gain much momentum as Wabash Valley pulled away with the 101-53 win over the Lady Blazers.

VU was led offensively by sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) who finished with 11 points and team-highs six assists and four steals.

Sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) also reached double-figures, ending with 10 points, eight of which coming in the second half, while also grabbing four rebounds, four steals and pair of assists.

Thornton found herself in foul trouble early, playing the entire second half with four fouls and was able to finish the game without fouling out.

Sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) was able to break away for a pair of threes on her way to eight points, four assists and three steals on the night.

Freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) battled in the paint to end her night with six points, a team-high nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Lady Blazers will look to bounce back in their next game when VU hosts Kaskaskia College at the Physical Education Complex Saturday, Jan. 21. Tip-off time for the Lady Blazers is set for 2 p.m. eastern.

Vincennes defeated Kaskaskia back in November 102-58 in Centralia with Elikya Baseyila stealing the show with 18 points and 18 rebounds.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (53): Maycee Lange 2-6 2-2 6, Elikya Baseyila 2-4 2-2 6, Cherrelle Newsom 3-14 0-0 8, Chanice Willis 5-18 1-2 11, Daylynn Thornton 4-9 2-4 10, Elena Tzelou 0-0 0-0 0, Nyre Williams 3-8 0-0 6, Ra'Mya Milton 0-0 0-0 0, Najra Voloder 0-1 2-2 2, Brie Miller 2-3 0-2 4, Team 21-63 9-14 53.

Wabash Valley – 25   21   38   17 – 101

VU (13-8, 6-2) – 10   17   9   17 – 53

Three-point goals: VU 2 (Newsom 2). Rebounds: VU 31 (Baseyila 9). Assists: VU 14 (Willis 6). Steals: VU 14 (Willis 4, Thornton 4). Blocked Shots: VU 3 (Baseyila 2). Turnovers: VU 33. Personal Fouls: VU 19. Fouled out: None.