Pioneer basketball picked up two important victories vs. Lindenwood on Saturday. The women won in a
78-50 blowout, and the men picked up a much-needed conference win
64-58.
[this wbb game was forfeited later in the season due to playing an ineligible player]
Sophia Stockton's 16 points off the bench led the Pioneers in their 28-point victory. The freshman's career-high came in just 17 minutes of play. MNU struggled offensively to start the game, and the score was tied at 8 after 7 minutes of play. But the rest of the half was all Pioneers, and MNU outscored Lindenwood 30-9 as the teams went to the locker room. National Player of the Week
Bethany Rexroth was constantly double and triple teamed, but she still managed to fill the stat sheet and allow other players to pick up the scoring. MNU's bench outscored the starters 48-30 as Bill Olin used mass subs for most of the game.
"We're a deep team and we've been taking advantage of that," said Coach Olin. "We can get good rest while continuing to score, and obviously that's to our advantage."
The second half was more of the same for MNU, and the Pioneers won by 28. Stockton led the way with 16 points.
Lindsey Sprague had 14 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.
Hadleigh Meek contributed 9 points.
Heather Cunard had 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. And Rexroth had 6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 6 blocks.
In the men's game, the teams started slowly found themselves tied 10-10 after 10 minutes. But the Pioneers went on a 11-0 run to take control of the game. The teams played evenly the rest of the way, but the Pioneers kept the lead between 3-8 as the slow-paced game dragged on.
"That run in the first half won the game for us," said Coach Lamar. "We played one of our best games defensively and I'm proud of our guys. That's a tough team and we had to work really hard to beat them."
Bell had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Rustin Dowd had 18 points and 5 assists.
Ben Swinger had 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Mark Ball was a defensive spark with 3 blocks and a steal to go along with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench. And Lukas Weigul was solid off the bench with 6 points and 7 rebounds.
The teams will play again on Thursday the 21st at home vs. Baker at 5:30/7:30.
