(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team earned its' first Illinois Skway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) win of the season with an 93-75 upset win over Moraine Valley Community College on Tuesday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Chiefs (1-5, 5-14) drained 19 three-pointers on the way to knocking off the Cyclones (4-3, 9-12), who committed 22 turnovers. Despite holding a distinct height advantage, Moraine Valley lost the rebounding battle to Waubonsee 50-45 as well.
The Chiefs came out firing on all cylinders. Long three-pointers by Ma'Liyah Hodges and Annika Bielskis helped the Chiefs jump out to an 11-2 lead. Katelyn Curtis drilled another trey to make it 16-4 in favor of the Chiefs four minutes into the game. Waubonsee continued to fire away from long range as Katie Baker connected on a three-pointer to extend the lead to 24-8 with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Ellie Baum then buried a high arching three a short time later to cap off an 11-0 Chiefs' run. The quarter closed with Waubonsee holding a surprising 34-15 lead. The Chiefs shot 57 percent (8 of 14) from long range over the first 10 minutes of play.
Early in the second quarter the Cyclones began to chip away at Waubonsee's lead, which had been as much as 24 points. After Moraine Valley cut the deficit in half, a second three-pointer by Curtis, put the Chiefs ahead 40-25 midway through the second period. Two minutes later Bielskis buried her third shot from beyond the arc for her 100th career three-point basket in a Chiefs' uniform, becoming only the second player in program history to reach that mark. Lauren Goff (2016-2018) finished her Chiefs' career with 109 three-point baskets, a mark well within Bielskis' reach with 10 regular season games left. Waubonsee held off the Cyclones' charge and took a 47-27 lead into the locker room after Baker connected on a 17-foot jumper from the right baseline in the waning seconds of the second quarter.
Bielskis drained a pair of threes early in the third quarter as Waubonsee maintained a 20-to-23-point advantage. Midway through the period Hodges finished off a two-on-one break with a lay-in off a great fake and feed from Alexis Trousdale. A minute later Baum splashed a three from in front of the Chiefs' bench to push the lead back up to 24 points. Curtis then nailed another triple with two minutes to go in the quarter to give her nine points in the game. The reserve guard came into the game with just seven total points scored on the season. A put back basket by Kaila Schlinger in the final minute of third stanza helped Waubonsee secure a 74-50 lead heading into the final period.
Hodges connected on yet another trey early in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs went in front 77-52. A moment later Bielskis drilled her seventh long ball of the game as Waubonsee maintained a comfortable 86-62 lead midway through the final period. Bielski added an eighth triple a couple minutes later to tie her own Waubonsee single-game mark set in December against Bryant & Stratton College.
The Chiefs finished the game shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range, tallied 29 assists as a team and went 10 of 13 from the foul line. Waubonsee also played gritty defense all game, collectively taking half a dozen offensive charging fouls throughout the game. Bielskis led all scorers with 24 points to go along with four assists and five rebounds. Baker finished with a triple double scoring 10 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. Hodges added 14 points and three steals, Trousdale chipped in with 12 points and four assists, and Curtis booked an obvious season high of 11 points. Angelina Schlinger added nine assists and eight rebounds, while Ashleigh Wackerlin contributed eight points and five boards.
Waubonsee is in action again this coming Thursday, February 1 when they travel to Crystal Lake to take on McHenry County College to finish off the first half of the ISCC schedule. Coach Jim Williams' Chiefs return home next Tuesday, February 6 when they host Prairie State College.
Coach Jim Williams present Annika Bielskis with a miniature souvenir basketball in honor of her 100th career three-point basket.