The Centre women's basketball team used a strong shooting performance to help them beat conference opponent Austin College, 80-57, on Friday, January 28 in Danville, Ky. Centre improved to 13-6 overall and to 7-3 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Junior Maggie Prewitt (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) and senior Angela Tronzo (Bardstown, Ky.) helped give the Colonels the early 4-0.
Spenser Cruikshank cut Centre's lead in half following a made jumper at the 18:54 mark of the first half.
The Colonels were able to build up a six point lead before the Kangaroos were able to tie the game up at eight all with 15:53 remaining in the first half of action.
Austin took their first lead of the game after Brooke Melton made two free throws to put the score at 10-8 with 14:06 on the clock. The Kangaroos built up a five point lead when Kersti Marusich made a three pointer to make it a 13-8 game.
Junior Alyson Burke (Harrodsburg, Ky.) put Centre back ahead at 18-16 after she knocked down a three point basket with 10:11 to go in the first half.
The Kangaroos kept the game close during the next 5:57 of play. Erin Riley gave Austin it's second lead of the game with 4:14 to go before halftime, as she hit jumper to make it a 27-25 game.
Austin had the advantage until the 1:56 mark when sophomore Chelsea Benham (Taswell, Ind.) converted on a layup to put Centre back ahead 32-31.
Centre held onto the lead for the remainder of the first half, even building up a seven point lead before going into the break ahead by a score of 40-36.
During the first half of play Centre shot 54.8% from the field and 60% from behind the arc. The Colonels did not attempt a free throw in the first half of play. Austin made 35.3% of their shots from the floor and they made 77.8% of their shots from the foul line.
Cruikshank opened up the second half by knocking down a jumper to put the Kangaroos within two points, but Centre responded by going on a 12 point run to make it a 52-38 game with 15:56 remaining on the clock.
The Colonels held onto a double digit lead until the 13:29 mark when Shayna Clardy hit two free throw shots to make it a 54-46 game.
Centre didn't take long to extend their lead back up to 10 points, after M. Prewitt made a jumper with 13:17 to go in the game to put the score at 56-46.
Sophomore Jenna Mire (Knoxville, Tenn.) gave the Colonels a 20 point advantage after she converted on a jumper with 8:07 on the clock.
Centre's defense effort continued to be strong for the remainder of the second half, as the team was able to build up a 26 point lead before going on to win the game 80-57.
The Colonels finished the game shooting 54.1% from the field and 85.7% from the free throw line, while the Kangaroos made 32.8% of their shots from the floor and 73.3% of their free throw attempts.
M. Prewitt posted 26 points in the win for Centre. Junior Lauren Huter (Louisville, Ky.) recorded a double double on the night with 11 points and 14 rebounds. She also had four blocked shots. Benham provided the Colonels with four assists and Tronzo had three steals.
Clardy led the Kangaroos in scoring with 12 points and three assists, while Erica McDaniel had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Next up for the Colonels will be a home match against conference opponent Colorado College on Sunday, January 30 at 11:00 a.m. in Danville, Ky.
