Defense leads Lady Trailblazers past D-II No. 22 Parkland College

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers hit the road Saturday afternoon to face their second straight Nationally ranked opponent.

VU headed to Champaign, Ill. to face off against NJCAA Division II No. 22-ranked Parkland College and came away with a strong 69-59 victory over the Cobras.

The Lady Blazers got off to an excellent start Saturday afternoon, riding a 12-0 first quarter scoring run to a 16-13 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.

Vincennes took their game up to another level in the second quarter, turning defense into offense in transition to put up 27 points in the second quarter alone.

VU closed out the first half strong, outscoring Parkland 9-3 down the stretch to take a 43-27 lead into the halftime locker room break.

Parkland College looked to answer back as the second half began with the Cobras using a 10-0 scoring run to cut the VU lead down to 10.

VU would maintain their lead heading into the fourth quarter with the Lady Blazers holding a 53-41 advantage.

The Cobras again looked to strike early in the fourth quarter, using a 12-0 scoring run to even the score at 55-55 midway through the period.

Vincennes regained traction and weathered the storm with seven straight points and would put the game away by outscoring Parkland 7-2 to close out the game as VU finished out the 69-59 victory over host Parkland College.

The Lady Blazers were again led offensively by freshman Delora Pricop (Satu Mare, Romania), who finished the game with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Freshman Jazmyn Robey (Sellersburg, Ind.) had a big game for the Lady Blazers off the bench, scoring 14 points, adding nine rebounds and coming away with three steals.

Freshman Emani Washington (Indianapolis, Ind.) had a very good all-around game, finishing her day with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore Marta Gutierrez (Alicante, Spain) was the fourth VU scorer in double figures, getting the VU offense going early with 11 points, all coming in the first half, while also leading the Lady Blazers with six assists, five steals and four rebounds.

Freshmen Iris Comesana (Vigo, Spain) and Ahmya Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) also got the start Saturday afternoon, with Comesana adding seven points and a pair of blocks, while Thomas battled early foul trouble to finish with five points, six assists and five steals.

Freshman Yanni Huggins (Belleville, Mich.) rounded out the Vincennes box score with the Lady Blazers only having seven active players Saturday, scoring four points and grabbing six rebounds in the game.

The VU defense stole the show Saturday afternoon, literally, forcing 26 Cobra turnovers with 17 Vincennes steals and many resulting in Lady Blazer baskets at the other end of the floor.

The Lady Blazers will look to keep this positive momentum going into next week as VU returns home to the Physical Education Complex Wednesday, Dec. 11 as Vincennes opens Region 24 play against John A. Logan College at 5 p.m.

Vincennes will then close out next week with another Saturday road game, this time heading to Robinson, Ill. to take on Lincoln Trail College at 2 p.m. eastern.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (69): Ahmya Thomas 2-9 0-0 5, Iris Comesana 3-6 1-2 7, Marta Gutierrez 4-9 1-4 11, Emani Washington 5-19 1-2 12, Delora Pricop 6-8 4-6 16, Jazmyn Robey 5-9 3-4 14, Yanni Huggins 1-2 2-4 4, Team 26-62 12-22 69.

Parkland College – 13   14   14   18 – 59

VU (4-7) – 16   27   10   16 – 69

Three-point goals: VU 5 (Gutierrez 2, Thomas, Washington, Robey). Rebounds: VU 32 (Robey 9). Assists: VU 21 (Thomas 6, Gutierrez 6). Steals: VU 17 (Thomas 5, Gutierrez 5). Blocked Shots: VU 3 (Comesana 2). Turnovers: VU 24. Personal Fouls: VU 14. Fouled out: None.