(Sugar Grove, IL.) - Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team gradually built up a big lead throughout its match-up against the College of DuPage on Thursday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Chiefs (6-2) eventually secured a 77-55 victory over the Chaparrals (1-7), keyed by another big game from Niallie Evans. Somewhat sloppy at times, a total of 46 fouls were whistled in the game with the teams shooting a combined 54 free throws.
After the Chiefs took off their purple warm-up in recognition of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness, the Chaparrals won the jump ball and scored on their first possession. Anna-Marie Godina responded by draining a three-pointer from the left corner to put the Chiefs in front 3-2. After a two-minute scoring drought for both teams, Godina splashed another triple from the left wing to stake Waubonsee to an 8-6 lead. Midway through the first quarter DuPage's Saniyya Harvey drilled a trey to give the visitors a short-lived 11-10 lead. That's because Godina immediately answered with her third long range basket to put the Chiefs back in front. Coach Jim Williams' crew never trailed again after that. Waubonsee, which entered the evening as the top free throw shooting team in the country among NJCAA Division II squads with an 80.6 percent average, connected on 9 of 10 foul shots to gradually build a 24-14 lead by the end of the period.
The Chiefs maintained a double-digit lead even though fouls against the home team began to mount. Then Evans scored on a drive to the basket and was fouled. A technical foul on the Chaparrals resulted in two more foul shots as well. Evans calmly sank all three shots from the line to essentially complete a 5-point play and push the lead to 34-18 just three minutes into the second quarter. Waubonsee took an 18-point lead, its' biggest up to that point, when Samantha Kerry nailed a three with three minutes to go until halftime. However, DuPage clawed back to within a dozen points with the Chiefs holding a 42-30 lead at the break.
Evans continued to lead the way as she buried a three-pointer to begin the third quarter and connected on a pair of free throws to extend the lead back up to 17 points. The Chaparrals could get no closer than 14 points over the next five minutes as Evans scored on a crossover and lay-up to make it 53-35 halfway through the quarter. Two minutes later she scored again to push the Chiefs' lead to 20 points at 56-36. Nylah Mathews followed with a put back basket and Savannah FitzSimons went up in a crowd and wrestled an offensive rebound away from two Chaparrals. The sophomore put the ball right back up and in to put Waubonsee ahead by 24 points. A spinning one-hander in the lane by Makayla McNally off an assist by Danielle Bulson in the final seconds gave Waubonsee a 62-39 lead heading into the final stanza.
The Chiefs led by at least 20 points throughout the fourth quarter. Kerry drilled another trey from the top of the key; Mathews recorded a blocked shot on the defensive end and FitzSimons canned a pair of free throws to build the lead up to 70-45 with four minutes remaining in the game. In the final minute FitzSimons capped off a lengthy possession by completing a three-point play as the shot clock wound down.
Evans, averaging 20.4 points per game coming into the contest, paced the Chiefs with 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. The sophomore point guard, who has now scored in double figures in seven of Waubonsee's eight games, finished the game a perfect seven for seven from the foul line. Godina booked 13 points and snagged five boards, FitzSimons added 11 points and hauled down seven rebounds, and Kerry contributed 10 points, six caroms and three assists. Bulson chipped in with six assists and pulled down nine rebounds, and Serenity Evans grabbed eight boards. The Chiefs are in action again next Tuesday, December 9, when they host Kishwaukee College at 5:30 p.m. The men's contest is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. that evening in Erickson Hall.
photos by Cristina Molleda and Britt Crowe
Jim Williams' and his team pre-game introduction of starter Samantha Kerry Savannah FitzSimons sinking a free throw