(Sugar Grove, IL) – Oakton Community College's quickness, height, and depth prevailed as they topped Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team 82-29 on Thursday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Owls (25-3, 9-2) dominated the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) match-up throughout by limiting the Chiefs (6-19, 2-9) to just 22 percent shooting for the game.
The Owls tallied the game's initial 12 points as Waubonsee went scoreless the first five minutes of the contest. Annika Bielskis finally broke the seal on the Chiefs' basket when she connected on a three-pointer from the right corner to make it 12-3. Oakton closed out the first quarter with a comfortable 20-5 lead as Waubonsee shot just 16.7 percent (2 for 12) from the floor. The Owls' defensive pressure continued to disrupt the Chiefs' offense holding Waubonsee to just one point through the first five minutes of the second quarter. Oakton then stretched its' lead to 32-6 with three minutes to go until halftime. A pair of free throws by Katelyn Curtis and another by Alexis Trousdale closed out the scoring before the teams headed to the locker room with Oakton leading 37-9. Waubonsee finished the half shooting just 9 percent (2 for 22) in the first half.
Katie Baker buried a 12-foot jumper in the lane to start the third quarter before the Owls went on a 14-1 run to build a 53-12 lead midway through the period. Oakton led by as many as 47 points before Ashleigh Wackerlin drilled a 15-foot jumper to end the quarter with the Owls in front 64-19. The visitors continued to roll as the fourth quarter commenced going on an 11-3 run to push their lead to 53 points. In the final two minutes the Owls' defense pressured Waubonsee into a pair of shot clock violations. Bielskis finished off the scoring by connecting on a long trey in the final seconds.
Waubonsee was led in scoring Wackerlin who finished with seven points, while Bielskis tallied six points on a pair of three-pointers. Trousdale dished out four assists and grabbed five rebounds, and Ellie Baum recorded a pair of steals in the loss. Macey Gandee paced the Owls with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Oakton registered 26 assists as a team and out rebounded Waubonsee 48-26 for the game. The Chiefs are in action again this coming Sunday afternoon, February 18, when they host South Suburban College in a rescheduled match-up from December. The Chiefs and Bulldogs are set to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. (CDT).