COSTA MESA, Calif. - The tenth-ranked Vanguard Lions took on Simpson University on a dreary evening in Costa Mesa. With rain pouring outside the gym, Airianna Madanski decided to pour in some threes of her own as she recorded 26 points and six rebounds, hitting six threes over the course of the game which ended in a lopsided victory for the Blue and Gold.
What Happened? Airiana Madanski (FR/Gilbert, AZ) caught fire the moment the ball was tipped as she hit three threes in the first seven minutes as the Lions jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Gabriela Rosas (JR/Chihuahua, Mexico), the GSAC Player of the Week, would continue the hot start as she hit back-to-back threes to stretch the lead further. Aggie Manu (JR/Cypress, CA) would check in and give some great minutes for the Blue and Gold as she hit a couple of layups in traffic in the paint and the Lions would go into the half up 45-31.
Madanski continued her onslaught from beyond the arc as she hit the fourth and fifth three of the game in quick succession to start the third quarter. Michaella Elad (SR/Ontario, CA) would score five straight points while hauling down her usual wealth of rebounds inside. Fantastic ball movement leading to wide-open looks were key as the Lions went into the fourth with a 19 point lead. Rosas scored the first six points of the final quarter for the Pride as she was able to get to the free-throw line four times. Vanguard finished a tremendous defensive effort by only allowing 12 points in the final two frames to take the win 77-55.
Why It's Important? The Lions dominated the first of a two-game series against Simpson University with a total team effort. Although the Pride struggled from the field, they showed that their strong defensive effort could overcome as they forced 26 turnovers that led to 37 points for the Blue and Gold.
Notable Performances: Madanski would finish with a game-high 26 points on 6-14 shooting from deep and going a perfect 4-4 from the line. After her 27 point outing against San Diego Christian, Rosas would finish with 21 points and seven rebounds. Michaella Elad had a fantastic effort on both ends of the floor as she had 11 points, 18 rebounds, and six steals. Lauren Baumgartner (SO/Meridian, ID) would also get in on the fun on the defensive end as she had five steals.
What They Said: "Our strategy was basically playing the way we know how to play as a team and just being able to adjust," said Aggie Manu. "I feel like we were able to accomplish that in the second half, especially in just listening to our coaches and our own teammates really helped us get the win tonight. I can't wait to play tomorrow!" Head Coach Russ Davis was glad that his team "came out strong offensively and continued to make progress as a whole. Airiana is a very talented freshman and she played tonight like she usually does in practice so that didn't surprise me at all. Michaella was also a force on the boards!"
Next Up: The second game of the two-game series against Simpson University on Saturday, January 30th at 4:00 pm.
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