ANAHEIM, Calif. – Senior Melissa Akullu scored a career-high 41 points as the Vanguard women's basketball team coasted to a 108-67 victory at Bethesda on Monday.
The center added 14 rebounds for her ninth double-double. She also flirted with a triple-double, collecting eight steals. The native of Kampala, Uganda shot 17 of 29 from the floor in 33 minutes.
Halle Si'i and Alexa Silva chipped in with 12 points apiece. Si'i added six rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Silva hit 4 of 5 from three-point territory. Freshman Ashlin Crabtree also got close to a triple-double, finishing with nine points and career-highs of nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Lions shot 46.3 (44 of 95) percent for the game. VU pressed the Flames for most of the game and forced 36 turnovers, converting those into 52 points. The Lions also scored 60 of their 108 points in the paint.
VU is now 10-3 on the season, while Bethesda fell to 0-19.
What Happened?: The Lions started slowly and led just 23-19 after one period. VU had a 9-0 spurt as three-pointers from Si'i and Crabtree bookended a pair of Akullu layups for a 19-9 lead. But the Flames scored 10 of the final 14 points to cut their deficit to four.
The Lions extended the lead to 48-34 at halftime after hitting five threes in the second quarter, with Silva going 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. Akullu could not be stopped inside as she tallied the final six Lions points.
VU blew the game wide open in the third quarter, outscoring Bethesda 40-16 on 16 of 27 shooting. Akullu had 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting. The Lions pressured relentlessly and the Flames obliged with 13 turnovers.
The Lions went on a 14-0 run over a two-minute span to lead 62-36 following a Sarah Matossian jumper.
The lead eventually increased to as many as 43 points in the final quarter. Brittney Tran, Naomi Hotckiss and Zoe Duggan got extended playing time, with Duggan getting her first career points as a Lion on a jumper with 3:01 left.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions got back into the win column after a disappointing setback to Menlo on Saturday.
What's Next?: VU returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Life Pacific. Tip time is 5;30 p.m.
