By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Paige Wright (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) nearly had a triple-double, while Kamilah Carter (Pioneer/Ann Arbor, Mich.) chipped in 19 points as the No. 9 Express women's basketball team defeated Mott Community College 72-61 tonight in the SHAC.
Wright, who struggled from the field (3-for-12), finished with 10 points, but contributed in other areas - as shown in her team-highs in rebounds (10) and assists (7). Carter also struggled with her shot, but finished 6-for-14 with three assists and a team-high six steals - in addition to her team-high 19 points.
Carter drained a 3-pointer with 7:19 left in the first half that gave the Express a 28-12 lead, but Mott cut their deficit to six at 32-26 with 2:24 left. Down the stretch, though, Carter hit a jumper, while Eboni Adams (Maple Heights/Cleveland, Ohio) hit back-to-back shots to give the Express a 38-28 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Express never led by more than 14. In fact, Mott had trimmed the Express lead to 65-61 with 57 seconds left.
That's when the Express got four straight free throws from Alyssa Lassey (Ida/Ida, Mich.) and Maura Hackney (Edgewood/Middletown, Ohio) to seal the game. Their free throws, however, were not indicitave of one of the biggest differences in the game as the Express shot only 13-for-26, while Mott finished 24-for-30.
Over the last minute of the game, the Express finished 7-for-8 from the line. Prior to that, they were 6-for-18.
Ashley Tunstall (Huber Heights Wayne/Dayton, Ohio) only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble, but contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals and one assist before fouling out. Adams added 10 points, while also producing three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Another difference in the game came in the turnover battle as Mott turned it over 32 times compared to just 19 for the Express. Additionally, the Express held a 30-20 advantage in paint points (despite taking many outside shots), a 22-14 advantage in points off turnovers and a 15-8 advantage in second chance points.
Each team had 39 rebounds, although the Express held an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass - led by Tunstall and Wright with four each.
Mott had four players scored in double figures, led by 15 each from Taylor Marks and Brittany Severn. Kaylee Robinson and Ashley Beemon each had 11 points. Marks played for the Express last year before transferring to Mott.
The Express improved to 9-1 this year with the win, and they have now won nine straight. Meanwhile, Mott fell to 4-3 with the loss.
The next action for the Express will be Friday at 5 p.m. in the SHAC against Lourdes University JV. The game is part of the Turkey Shootout, as the Express will play No. 12 Kalamazoo Valley Community College the following day at 1 p.m.