Box Score The last time the Lindenwood University women's basketball team scored 100 points, the Lady Lions were still competing in the NAIA and none of the current players were on the team.
Paced by freshman
Kassidy Gengenbacher's 24 points and six assists, the fully-fledged NCAA Division II Lady Lions routed Robert Morris-Springfield (Ill.) 106-60 Tuesday at the Hyland Arena. It's the first time the Lady Lions scored 100 points since their win Jan. 29, 2008 against Olivet Nazarene. Robert Morris competes in the NAIA.
The Lady Lions improved to 4-2, matching their win total from last year. They have a three-game winning streak going into Thanksgiving break. It was the third straight game the Lady Lions scored at least 82 points. Lindenwood coach
Tony Francis got to clear his bench and give non-starters valuable playing time.
"I never expect 100 points, but I always expect for us to shoot well," said Francis whose team shot 63.2 percent from the field against the Eagles and is the top shooting team in the MIAA. "We're all still learning to play with each other."
The Lady Lions started sluggishly against the Eagles and trailed 18-16 midway through the first half. But Gengenbacher sank a three-point basket with 11 minutes 16 seconds left in the half to give the Lady Lions a 19-18 lead they would never give back.
Gengenbacher, a 5-foot-10 guard, cracked the starting lineup two games ago and has played superbly ever since. When she takes the ball to the basket off the dribble she uses excellent upper body control to get around defenders.
"She's learning every day, and there's never a question how hard she'll bring it to every practice and game," Francis said. "She loves competition and expects greatness from herself and the team. As coaches we have to guide her through the challenges of Division II basketball."
Five Lady Lions scored in double figures against the Eagles. Senior
Caroline Bourlioux had 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. Junior
Morgan Johnson had 15 points, junior
Julie Hlinak had 10 and senior
Cassie Bluemner made 4 of 5 baskets and finished with 11 points.
Lindenwood freshman
Bre Zanders has eight offensive rebounds in her last two games. Zanders, a 6-0 forward, scored a season-high six points against the Eagles.
Halfway through their six-game homestand, the Lady Lions are off until Dec. 5 when they host Central Oklahoma (4-0) at 5:30 p.m. It's the first conference game of the season for the Lady Lions.