ROCKLIN, Calif. – Vanguard women's basketball launched into another showdown on Friday, as the team began a two-game stand in the Jessup Thanksgiving Classic. VU took on Oregon Tech inside the Warrior Arena and in the matchup of two unbeaten foes, the Lions would defeat the Lady Owls. Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) had a huge night, as her 27 points helped VU claim the 77-68 victory, putting VU at 4-0 on the year, as Oregon Tech fell to 4-1.
What Happened?
Both teams would eclipse 20 points in the first period, as the offenses came out swinging. Airiana Madanski (JR/Gilbert, AZ) made the first two buckets of the night for the Blue and Gold, and she kicked out wide to collect passes from Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda). OIT tied the game at 4-4 but Madanski continued her hot start by rattling home a three, with Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) netting her first assist in the process. Akullu and Si'i would soon deposit their first points of the night to push the advantage to 11-4 with just three minutes played. However, the Lady Owls came up with some stops and soon had the match tied at 11-all. A layup for Si'i put the Blue and Gold ahead again and Baumgartner would splash down her first three of the night to increase the lead to 16-11. She would score the next four points for VU as well, with Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) putting the squad ahead by seven late in the quarter with two free throws and a jump shot. The Lady Owls made a three with five seconds left, but Vanguard still held a 24-20 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter started with Akullu putting in a layup and Jaryn Madsen (FR/Warden, WA) delivering a three a couple of minutes later to give VU a 31-24 edge. Despite some good play, OIT kept making shots to keep the gap manageable, until threes from Baumgartner and Si'i extended the lead to 40-32. Vanguard would match the Lady Owls shot-for-shot the rest of the quarter, with the Lions taking a 47-39 lead into halftime.
Akullu immediately put the Lions ahead by 10 to open the second half with a short jumper, but Oregon Tech would garner a three-point play a minute later. OIT found a rhythm as the period moved along, as the Lady Owls shrunk the lead to 56-50 with four minutes left in the period. Baumgartner made a free throw and Giner would chip in two more points, but OIT outscored the Lions 15-12 to make it 59-54 as the teams sauntered into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Owls would hold the line and notch a layup to make it 59-56 within the first minute of action in the fourth. After another fruitless possession, VU watched as the lead dropped to one off another OIT jumper, capping an 8-2 run for the Lady Owls. The Lions could not get points on their next trip down the lane but soon got on the scoreboard via a Baumgartner layup. Fouled on the play, Baumgartner made the and-one free throw to put some breathing space back into the Vanguard lead. Once more, OIT would trim the lead to two, but after a VU timeout, Baumgartner would bury a deep three to make it 65-60. A two by OIT would make it a one-possession game again, but after a foul, a nice inbounds play saw Akullu sink a layup off a quality pass from Giner to make it a five-point lead. The Vanguard defense was stellar as the fourth quarter rolled along, making a number of stops and giving up only two field goals and two free throws over the final five minutes of action to claim the 77-68 win.
The Lions shot 40% from the floor for the game and 27% from beyond the arc. The team made 19 out of 28 possible free throws. OIT outshot the Lions in both metrics (56% from the floor, 28.6% from deep), but Vanguard forced 20 turnovers and had a 19-7 edge on the offensive glass, as the team held a 34-31 edge in total rebounds at the end of the game. The Lions also took advantage of 25 fouls committed by the Lady Owls. Baumgartner was four-for-nine from deep and was 50% (7-14) from the floor, setting a new season-high and collecting the most points she has scored since February 2021 (33). Si'i had 16 points and seven assists, while Giner had 13 points and nine rebounds. Akullu and Madanski each had eight points, with Akullu tying Giner for the team-high in rebounds.
What was Said?: "We gritted this game out against a very talented team who had been undefeated," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "Lauren made a ton of big shots and Giner was huge on the glass tonight. OIT shot the lights out and we found a way to win. Battling some health problems, I'm proud of the ladies and how they fought hard tonight to get a win."
What's Next?: Vanguard will play Simpson tomorrow at WJU at noon.
