BILLINGS, Mont. -- Vanguard women's basketball cruised to a 79-35 victory over Simon Fraser Saturday night to move to 1-1. The Lions did not let their opening night defeat linger in the air for too long, as the Blue and Gold kept the Red Leafs to under 10 points in all but the first quarter.
Emma Schaaf seized control of the contest to tally a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead all players in both categories. She went 7-for-15 from the field, 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, and backed up VU's defense with three of the squad's five blocks and a team-high four steals. Both Aryanna Hudson and Ashlin Crabtree hit double figures for the first time, as the pair combined for seven of Vanguard's eight triples Saturday night. Hudson went 3-for-5 from downtown, added four buckets down low for 17 points (second most in a game in her career), and chipped in four helpers, while Crabtree went 4-for-7 from distance and added two shots inside the arc to finish 6-of-9 for the night (16 points).
Micaela Hanning led all players with six assists, tallied eight points, and secured five boards.
What Happened? The first period was the "closest" of the group, as VU led 19-11 after 10 minutes. Hudson and Akilah Kubi opened the scoring with back-to-back layups, with Schaaf making the advantage 8-0 with a pair of layups after four minutes of action. Hanning and Schaaf layups then cemented a 14-0 run that ended with three minutes left in the first as Simon Fraser made their first point on a free-throw. SF did outscore the Lions over the rest of the frame to close the gap, but eight points would be the closest the difference was for the night. The Lions made 42% of their shots in the first frame and held the Red Leafs to a 3-for-12 clip (25%).
Simon Fraser made eight field goals over the final three periods, with two of those coming from downtown.
The Lions shot 52% in the second period (9-17) and 60% (9-15) in the third to make the lead insurmountable. VU's 4-for-5 mark in the second from beyond the arc was the best of the evening.
With the starters pushing the advantage early and often, some other players picked up minutes as the night went on. Gloria Barrera grabbed five points in six minutes, Emily Shaw and Bella Medina each had four, and Nyla Cabine banked two.
What was Said? "Tonight we really responded well and played more like what we're capable of," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "I'm proud of how we bounced back and competed with a more sense of urgency."
What Next? Vanguard returns home and hosts a tournament of its own, with Northwest Nazarene up first next Friday at noon.
