Wildcats Cruise to Double-Digit Victory Over Rival Ravens

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Baker women's basketball led rival Benedictine wire-to-wire and boasted a 27-point lead at one point as the Wildcats rolled to a 67-47 win over the Ravens here Thursday night in Baldwin City.

Playing in front of an electric Collins Center crowd, BU shot over 50 percent from the field (29-for-57) and had eight different players score in the contest. The Wildcats also controlled the glass by outrebounding the Ravens by a 34-23 margin.

While Ainsley Tolson finished as the leading scorer with a game-high 18 points, it was Macey Frost who caught fire for the Wildcats as she posted a perfect shooting night (4-for-4) en route to her 11 points. Emma Cunningham reached double-digits as well with 10 points to go along with her eight rebounds. Hailey Nafziger and Chassidy Weathers tacked on six points apiece off the bench.

The Wildcats continued their trend of getting Cunningham established right from the get-go as the junior forward scored a couple of quick layups to open the game. After Emina Hadzihusejnovic made it 14-8 on a second-chance opportunity, the Ravens hung around the rest of the first period to face a 16-11 deficit at the quarter break.

In the second quarter, the two teams alternated baskets for the first two minutes before the Wildcats went on to break the game open by holding the visitors to just three points the rest of the half and taking advantage of a 16-3 run. In fact, Baker's defense silenced all but one Ravens player in the second as Jennifer Jacobs scored all seven of Benedictine's points in the quarter.

Alternatively, the Wildcats had seven different players contribute to their 20-point second period with a pair of Frost three-pointers highlighting the scoring stretch. Frost's second triple pushed the Baker lead out to 17 points before the halftime score settled at 36-18 in favor of BU.

Following the break, Tolson and Leah Van Weelden each scored four straight points for the Wildcats to extend their lead past the 20-point mark. Later, Tolson and Frost teamed up to connect on back-to-back threes and give Baker its largest lead of the game at 49-25.

Trailing by 24 points going into the final quarter, the Ravens rattled off a quick 8-2 run to open the period before Tolson stamped out any hints of a late-game rally with her second three of the night. With over three minutes left and the game in hand, Weathers and Nafziger took care of the scoring for BU the rest of the way. Weathers knocked down a jumper following a Tolson steal and Nafziger got a circus shot to fall off of a great dish from Emmery Joseph as the Wildcats went on to claim their fourth win in five games.

Baker improves to 9-8 overall and 5-7 against Heart opponents this season. The Wildcats close out their homestand with a matchup against No. 2 Central Methodist on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Collins Center.

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