Women’s Basketball Wins Third Straight Against WIAC
Dec 29, 2014
BOX SCORE
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Line them up. Knock them down.
Head Coach Mark Noll challenged the Spartans from the get-go after scheduling the most difficult non-conference slate of his seven-year tenure that included a flurry of games from one of the best conferences in the country, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).
The University of Dubuque women’s basketball team answered the call after defeating the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 65-57, in their third straight win over a WIAC opponent.
Five players scored in double figures as the Spartans (5-4) took the lead for good less than three minutes into the game. Freshman Abbey Meyer shined after tallying 13 points, a game-high four assists, and two steals. The lightning quick guard, second on the team with 41 free throw attempts, mirrored UD’s attacking mentality after finishing with a game-high five free throw makes in six attempts. Meyer and the Spartans dominated the interior after outdoing UW-Whitewater (4-6), 40-16, inside the paint.
Size didn’t matter after one of Mark Noll’s smaller Spartan teams utilized its quickness to sprint out to 36-25 halftime lead with 24 points coming in the paint. A second half adjustment by the Warhawks saw them claw to within three points with 2:58 remaining. A pair of layups by Jenna Kotas and Jessica Goetz provided the only scoring over a two-minute span to cushion the lead. The Warhawks threatened at the 36 second mark, but Kayla Springer closed it out with three straight free-throw makes in the last 22 seconds.
Starters Kotas, Goetz, and Springer (nine rebounds) all finished in double digits while Meggie Schmidt led the Spartan scoring with 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including two three-pointers. The 5-9 Goetz blocked a season-high three shots as the Spartans totaled five overall. UD’s three highest single-game block totals (7, 5, and 5) have come against WIAC competition.
The Spartans crushed a two-game winning streak by the Warhawks, who were a NCAA Division III Final Four team a year ago. Against the other WIAC squads, UD defeated UW-Stout and UW-La Crosse and fell to UW-Platteville, 70-67, at home.
Next up at the JustAGame tournament in Wisconsin Dells is a rematch against UW-La Crosse (5-6) at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30. The Spartans defeated the Eagles, 77-60, on November 19 at home.
