Mid-Game Burst Catapults Wildcats Past Yellowjackets, 74-48

LAMONI, Iowa – Baker women's basketball led wire-to-wire and took advantage of a mid-game offensive surge in its matchup at Graceland on Saturday, defeating the Yellowjackets, 74-48 for the Wildcats' second straight conference road victory.

Between the second and third period, BU outscored Graceland, 45-22 and shot at a 55-percent clip during that stretch to soar past the Yellowjackets in what would result as Baker's largest margin of victory against a Heart opponent this season.

The Wildcats' hot night from the floor extended to the free throw line where the team was near perfect yet again, swishing all but one of their 16 free throws in the contest. In its last four games, Baker has gone 64-for-73 from the charity stripe, led by Leah Van Weelden (18-for-19) who has now made 13 consecutive free throws.

Van Weelden was the leading scorer for BU with 19 points, while Ainsley Tolson filled out the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Emmery Joseph had seven points off a Baker bench that got to see quite a bit of action with 11 different Wildcats contributing to the rout.

It was Tolson and Van Weelden who got the Wildcats going to start the game with the duo each chipping in a couple of baskets before Sophia Barrett knocked down a triple to put Baker ahead, 11-6.

After coming away with a five-point lead in the first quarter, BU used a 23-6 run to launch itself ahead in the second frame. Van Weelden registered nine straight points for the Wildcats during the scoring stretch, while Weathers and Emina Hadzihusejnovic drained back-to-back threes to cap Baker's first half and send the Wildcats to the locker room with a 37-21 advantage at halftime.

Following the intermission, Graceland looked to begin its comeback right out of the gate, cutting Baker's lead to 10 in just a three-minute stretch to open the second half. However, the Wildcats would deliver a devastating counterblow, scoring 18 unanswered points and stonewalling the Yellowjackets offense for the rest of the third quarter with a seven-minute GU scoreless stretch.

With a cozy 59-31 lead, Baker was able to spell its starters in the fourth quarter – a big lift for the Wildcats who began a four-game, seven-day stretch with today's matchup – and turn things over to its bench. Hailey Nafziger powered home a couple of layups and Marta Konczalska splashed one from three-point range as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of the Yellowjackets, 74-48.

Baker improves to 12-12 overall and 8-11 against Heart opponents this season. The Wildcats close out their regular-season road trips with a showdown at No. 2 Central Methodist on Monday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Fayette, Mo. They will then return to the Collins Center for their final two regular-season games with matchups against William Penn (Feb. 15) and Peru State (Feb. 18).

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