(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College women's basketball team made 14 three-pointers on the way to downing Joliet Junior College 89-80 on Thursday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Chiefs (3-1) pulled away in the third quarter and then held on to hand the Wolves (3-2), ranked sixth nationally in the latest NJCAA Division III poll, their second loss of the season. Waubonsee shot 50 percent from three-point range and finished with 24 assists as a team.
Waubonsee came out firing as Anna-Marie Godina and Josie Larson made three-point shots the first two trips down the floor for the home team. Niallie Evans then scored on a fast break lay-up to make it 10-3. The Wolves responded with a 7-0 run to knot the score in a fast paced first quarter. Two minutes later Savannah FitzSimons buried a triple of her own to tie the game at 15 midway through the period. The back-and-forth battle continued as the lead changed hands five more times before the quarter ended with Evans connecting on a long three-pointer at the buzzer to put the Chiefs in front 23-22.
Three minutes into the second quarter the Wolves regained the lead at 26-25. A short time later Evans drilled a high-arching triple from the top of the key to put Waubonsee back in front 30-28. Danielle Bulson then drove down the lane, drawing two defenders before she threw an over the shoulder pass back out to Godina at the top of the key. The sophomore guard commenced to drill another trey giving the Chiefs a 36-30 lead with five minutes left until halftime. Three minutes later Waubonsee took its' biggest lead to that point at 41-34 as the frantic pace continued. After 10 lead changes and four ties, the Chiefs headed to the locker room clinging to a 44-40 lead.
Waubonsee began to pull away in the third quarter on the strength of their three-point shooting as they connected on a trio of shots from beyond the arc over a two-minute span. In one sequence the Chiefs misfired three times from close range, grabbing the offensive rebound each time before Makayla McNally kicked the ball out to the perimeter where Evans drilled a triple to make it 57-46. Waubonsee led by as many as 17 before Joliet clawed its way back to within single digits at 66-57 on a pair of free throws by 6'0 center Demi Page with 1:40 left in the quarter. The Wolves eventually cut the deficit down to just 66-63 heading into the final quarter as they reeled off a 14-0 run.
The Chiefs broke their four-minute scoring drought when Evans drove and dumped the ball off to Serenity Evans for a short jumper in the lane. However, the Wolves knotted the score at 68-all a minute later when Destynia McGruder scored in traffic. Waubonsee again caught fire from three-point range as Godina splashed one in from just in front of the Chiefs' bench to give the home team a 74-68 lead with seven minutes to go. Two minutes later FitzSimons split a pair of defenders and dished it off to Makayla McNally for a lay-up as the Chiefs built their lead back up to double digits at 80-70 halfway through the final period. Moments later Godina launched another long three that found nothing but net to push the lead to 13 points. The Wolves cut the deficit back to single digits with three minutes to go as the Chiefs frantically worked to hold on. A jumper by Joliet's Sarai Carter cut the lead to 85-78 with 1:08 remaining, but that is as close as the Wolves would get. Larson made a pair of free throws with 0:21 left to secure the Chiefs' third win of the season.
Point guard Niallie Evans again turned in a fantastic all-around performance leading all scorers with 25 points to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Godina finished with 19 points shooting 5 of 7 from long range. Larson booked 19 points, Bulson handed out five assists and grabbed seven boards, while FitzSimons netted eight points, hauled down seven boards and dished out four assists. Waubonsee is on the road the rest of November playing three straight games north of the border against Madison College, Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, and Milwaukee Area Technical College. Coach Jim Williams' Chiefs return home to Erickson Hall Gymnasium on Thursday, December 4, when they host the College of DuPage starting at 5:30 p.m.
Waubonsee's Serenity Evans wins the jumpball Nylah Mathews driving down the lane to score Niallie Evans drives past JJC defenders