(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team squared off against 12th ranked Morton College in a make-up game on Sunday afternoon in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Panthers (17-3, 4-0), vying for their third straight Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) championship, overwhelmed the Chiefs (4-11, 0-3) with a suffocating full-court pressure defense and a three-point barrage. In the process Morton extended its' winning streak against ISCC foes to 31 games by running off with a 100-38 over Waubonsee.
Morton won the opening tip-off and seconds later the Panthers' Taylor Marquart started the scoring by burying a three-pointer from left corner. Morton, which came into the game second nationally among all NJCAA Division II teams with 211 three-point baskets, continued to launch from beyond the arc all game. An inside basket by Annika Bielskis cut the Panthers' lead to 12-6 midway through the first quarter. Another triple by Marquart pushed the deficit to 20-6 as Morton applied full court defensive pressure and continued to bang away from long range. A bucket by Ashleigh Wackerlin off an inbounds play snapped a 17-0 run by Morton before the period ended with the visitors ahead 34-10. The Panthers continued to push the pace and started the second quarter on a 16-0 run to take a 50-12 lead midway through the period. Waubonsee's Kaila Schlinger scored inside just before the buzzer to close out the scoring in the second stanza. For the quarter the Panthers outscored the Chiefs 34-6 and headed to the locker room with a 68-16 lead after forcing 27 first half turnovers.
The second half started with a three-pointer by the Panthers' Alex Stewart. Wackerlin then connected on a 10-foot jumper in the lane and Schlinger drilled a baseline jumper as the Chiefs outscored Morton 8-6 over the first four minutes of the third quarter. After falling back into a half-court zone defense, the Panthers went cold from three-point range. However, they managed to outscore Waubonsee 18-15 in the period to take an 86-31 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Morton gradually built its' lead to 60 points at 95-35 midway through the final quarter. The Panthers reached the century mark in the final minute of action when Sophia Remmel made all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
Waubonsee finished the game with 39 turnovers and shot 8 of 26 (30.8 percent) both halves of the game, going 0 for 13 from three-point range overall. Meanwhile, the Panthers connected on 11 long-range shots out of 43 attempts and went 21 of 25 (84 percent) from the line. Angelina Schlinger ended the game with 13 points, four assists, four steals and seven rebounds to lead Waubonsee. Wackerlin booked a dozen points, Alexis Trousdale snagged eight rebounds, and Katie Baker handed out four assists and made five steals in the loss. Morton was led by Brynne Hatcher's 22 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. The Panthers controlled the boards, out rebounding Waubonsee 50-32, including 17-4 on the offensive glass.
Waubonsee's next home game is this coming Thursday, January 25, when they host the College of Lake County (13-5, 1-2) starting at 5:15 p.m. (CDT). The men's contest is set to follow beginning at 7:15 p.m. The Chiefs are also at home next Saturday, January 27, when coach Jim Williams' women's squad hosts Carl Sandburg College at 1:00 p.m. Coach Lance Robinson's crew is set to play Harper College immediately afterward at 3:00 p.m.