The Lady Devils hosted Northwest Tech tonight in another conference matchup. The ladies had a challenge in front of them as Tech just got their Division I stud eligible at semester. The Devils had a game plan on defense to contain Tech on the dribble and force them to take outside shots.... and The ladies executed this (almost) flawlessly! The ladies would jump out to a quick 10-0 lead as Tech would call timeout to try and slow them down. However, the Devils did not allow them to and continued to not let them inside for their typical, strong game. Ariel Walker caught fire early in the game from 3 and they would have no answer for her. She also had a major impact on the boards throughout the game. The ladies would be up 16-5 at the end of the first quarter. In the second, Tech would find some rhythm to fight back into the game as they would hit a few outside shots and convert their free throws. Jakira Wilson would get going late in the quarter which created “and-1” opportunities for her. The ladies would go into half up 33-25.
The third quarter would be another strong one for the Devils as they pulled away again. Jakira wilson would not be denied in the second half. Her defensive intensity would turn into offense as she sparked the run coming out of halftime. Transition points would have the ladies up 49-35 in the third. While Tech tried to chip away at the lead in the fourth, the ladies would knock down crucial free throws. Gabby Guzman and ChrisAlee Patterson would have big time shots and points from the stripe to keep the lead at 10 late in the fourth. Tunmi Amusa would also grab important rebounds and connect from the free throw line. Although it was a little too close for comfort, The ladies never looked back from the early lead they took and would snatch the victory 69-63.
It was a true overall team effort possession by possession through the duration of the game. The ladies were led by Jakira Wilson with 23, Ariel Walker added 20 and Gabby Guzman had 9. The ladies travel to Barton this Saturday for another tough matchup on the road.