By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---The No. 3 Owens Community College women's basketball team produced the most prolific scoring effort in program history tonight with a 134-35 win over Oakland Community College in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC).
In doing so, this year's team (12-0) now owns the best start to a single season in program history. Tonight, they also shattered program records for most points in a single game, most points in a half (67), most field goals made (49), fewest fouls in a game (4) and largest margin of victory (99). They are now 65-1 at home since February of 2012, and they have won 26 consecutive regular season games dating back to Jan. 6 of last season.
For Owens, all seven players scored at least 13 points. The two-person bench of Ariel Bethea (Huron/Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Courizma Williams (Hughes/Cincinnati, Ohio) combined for 41 points, which was six more points than Oakland had as a team. Also, Owens had more points off turnovers (46), in the paint (68) and in second chance opportunities (40) than Oakland had points as a team.
The inside duo of Jeryn Reese (Mansfield/Mansfield, Ohio) and Kaylah Ivey (Westerville South/Westerville, Ohio) nearly both produced 20-20 efforts. Reese totaled 20 points, 21 rebounds (11 offensive) and four steals, and Ivey had a team-high 24 points, a season-high 18 rebounds (nine offensive), three steals and two blocks. Reese tied her career-high in rebounds that she set Jan. 6 of last season.
Essence Cowan (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) added 22 points and five steals, Williams had 22 points, eight rebounds (six offensive), four assists and three steals, and Bethea totaled 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Also, two players for Owens flirted with triple-doubles as Sybil Roseboro (Elyria/Elyria, Ohio) had 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals, and Brenda Pennington (Bishop Noll/Hammond, Ind.) had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
As a team, Owens had 36 offensive rebounds, which was 14 more total rebounds than Oakland. Reese and Ivey alone out-rebounded Oakland by seven.
Reese had six points and five rebounds early as Owens jumped out to a 12-0 lead. After Oakland's Cheyenne Sterling made a jumper, Owens scored the next 11 points, capped by seven straight points from Williams and a layup from Cowan. Roseboro drained a 3-pointer in the final minute to help Owens take a 32-6 lead through one.
Oakland started to chip away early in the second quarter and trimmed its deficit to 27, but Owens scored 24 straight points before Oakland hit a jumper just before the buzzer.
Reese and Cowan combined to make four free throws early in the third quarter, and Ivey followed with a layup to give Owens a 73-22 lead. From there, the team scored the game's next 29 points, which encompassed a nine minute stretch and lasted into the fourth quarter.
A jumper from Bethea capped the 29-0 run and pushed the lead to 102-22. Seven of the next nine points also went to Owens as they led by 85. Following a 3-pointer from Oakland's Khadijah Lucas, Owens scored the next six points.
Moments later, an 11-0 run that featured the final five points from Williams gave Owens a 100 point lead for the first time. Three straight points from Pennington pushed the lead to its largest, 101, moments later before a Ariyana Jordan 3-pointer prevented Owens from winning by triple digits.
Owens, which is now 31-1 in the 2016 calendar year, will close the year by hosting Macomb Community College and Jackson College on Dec. 29 and 30. Both games are at 5:30 p.m.
Tonight's game was covered by BCSN. Check out www.bcsn.tv for more info.
Notes
The previous record for most points in a game came in a 125-point effort on Nov. 16, 2005 against Henry Ford. The previous record for most points in a half was 64 against Wayne County on Dec. 3, 1999. Owens broke that record twice tonight. The previous record for field goals made was 48, which was done twice - against Lorain County on Feb. 3, 2016 and against Columbus State on Jan. 16, 2002. Finally, the previous largest margin of victory was 85 against Lakeland on Jan. 23, 2013.
Reese continued her journey up the Owens career scoring list tonight. Her 20-point effort gives her 646 points. She passed Briana Williams (2014-16, 640 points) tonight for 28th place and Michelle Vorst (2002-03, 648) is next up on the list. She is also just 52 points away from passing her mother, Janice Butzin-Reese, who had 697 points from 1993-95 and currently sits in 18th place. On top of all that, the younger Reese is 15 rebounds away from 500 in her career and has a chance at the program's career rebounding record.
Bethea, who is now the team's scoring leader after last night's effort, has scored in double figures in eight straight games. She is averaging 16.6 points during that stretch. On top of that, she added four more steals tonight to give her 22 over the past four games and 145 in her career, which is 32 away from breaking that program record.
Owens now has back-to-back 100-point games this year and four overall. They are averaging 118.5 points over those two games. Furthermore, Owens has now outscored its opponents by 595 points, or an average of 49.6 points, over the first 12 games, which is 45 more points than they've given up (550) during that stretch. They have not won a game by fewer than 22 points, and they are averaging 95.4 points per game, which is second in the nation.