SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – What began as a poor start for the fifth-ranked Drury Lady Panthers turned into another runaway victory Saturday as Drury exploded against visiting Wisconsin-Parkside in the second quarter to claim a 104-65 win and remain unbeaten at home this season.
After hitting just one of their first ten shots in the contest, the Lady Panthers found themselves trailing 16-12 after the opening quarter, but that’s when things changed dramatically. Drury outscored the Rangers 27-0 during the first seven and half minutes of the quarter, forcing 19 first-half turnovers and grabbing a 48-25 halftime edge as Parkside managed just nine points in the period.
“I’m really pleased with the contributions across the board,” said Drury head coach Molly Miller. “We had some great stat lines, and Daejah Bernard jumps out as, after the slow start, she gave us energy to begin the second quarter.”
Things continued to go Drury’s way in the third quarter, as the Lady Panthers (24-2, 15-1 in GLVC) outscored the Rangers 32-14 to lead 80-39 headed into the final period of play.
“I was really happy with the defensive effort. 25 steals, and we forced 34 turnovers…that’s what we’re going to hang our hat on,” added Miller.
Senior Alice Heinzler with a team-high 18 points, led five Drury players in double-figure scoring, with freshman Payton Richards adding 16, senior Heather Harman had 14, freshman Emily Parker added 11 and sophomore Hailey Diestelkamp finished with 10.
Sophomore Carolina Rahkonen had game scoring honors as her 25 points paced the Rangers (8-20, 4-14 in GLVC).
The Lady Panthers also won the rebounding battle 35-27 and outscored the Rangers 60-16 in the paint.
The Lady Panthers return to action February 22, when they close out their home schedule hosting Rockhurst for a 5:30 pm tip.
