VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers picked up their fourth straight win Tuesday night in the Physical Education Complex after defeating Jefferson College 69-67 in the final game for the Lady Blazers before the holiday break.
VU got off to an excellent start in front of the home crowd, looking for revenge against the Lady Vikings after falling at Jefferson College 71-58 two weeks ago.
Vincennes opened the game by taking an 11-3 lead before JeffCo answered back to even the game with an 8-0 scoring run.
The Lady Vikings would take the lead at 20-15 and hold on to end the first quarter of play holding a 22-16 advantage over Vincennes.
VU looked to battle back in the second quarter, opening the period by outscoring Jefferson 12-4 and taking the lead back at 28-26.
Jefferson would again close out another quarter strong, outscoring the Lady Blazers 7-1 to head into the halftime break leading VU 33-29.
The game completely shifted back to VU to open the second half of action, with Vincennes grabbing the early momentum by scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter and taking a 42-33 lead.
VU would continue to expand the lead by opening the third quarter on a 20-4 scoring run to take their largest lead of the game at 52-37 midway through the third period.
Jefferson would again answer back and refuse to go away quietly, using a 13-2 scoring run to cut the VU lead back down to four.
The Lady Blazers would then score the final four points of the quarter to take a 58-50 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
The fourth quarter got off to a slow start for the Lady Blazers which allowed Jefferson College to again slowly chip away at the VU lead.
The Lady Vikings would use a late 9-0 scoring run to grab the lead back with just over a minute to play at 67-66.
VU freshman Destinee Hooks (Indianapolis, Ind.) then drove down the court to finish off a layup and take the lead back for Vincennes at 68-67.
Hooks would then help seal the game by hitting one of two from the free throw line on the next possession, giving the Lady Blazers a two-point lead with three seconds left.
Looking for a last second shot, the Lady Vikings were unable to get the ball inbounds cleanly as time expired and the Lady Blazers pick up their fourth straight win and head into the holiday break with a 7-7 record overall.
The Lady Blazers were led by Destinee Hooks who recorded her first collegiate double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
Freshman Karina Scott (Noblesville, Ind.) came off the bench to score in double-figures, ending with 13 points and three assists.
Freshman Makyla Tucker (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the third VU scorer in double-figures, coming off the bench to add 10 points and a pair of steals.
Sophomore Brie Miller (Bainbridge, Ind.) had another big night on the boards, recording 10 rebounds on the night to go along with six points, three assists and a pair of steals.
Sophomore Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) battled through some first half foul trouble to end with six points and eight rebounds, while fellow sophomore Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) ended her night with seven rebounds and a team-high five steals.
Sophomore Katrina Litte (Valmiera, Latvia) helped move the VU offense around with a team-high four assists to go along with six points and three steals.
The Lady Trailblazers now have a long break over the holidays before returning to the court in 2024 when VU hosts Region 24 opponent John A. Logan College in the Physical Education Complex Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. eastern.
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (69): Brie Miller 3-13 0-0 6, Maycee Lange 1-6 1-2 3, Elikya Baseyila 3-4 0-0 6, Destinee Hooks 7-20 6-13 24, Katrina Litte 2-4 1-2 6, Karina Scott 3-11 4-4 13, Makyla Tucker 2-7 5-6 10, Najra Voloder 0-2 1-2 1, Team 21-67 18-29 69.
Jefferson – 22 11 17 17 – 67
VU (7-7, 2-0) – 16 13 29 11 – 69
Three-point goals: VU 9 (Hooks 4, Scott 3, Litte, Tucker). Rebounds: VU 40 (Miller 10, Hooks 10). Assists: VU 14 (Litte 4). Steals: VU 14 (Lange 5). Blocked Shots: VU 5 (Hooks 2). Turnovers: VU 27. Personal Fouls: VU 29. Fouled out: Voloder. Technical Foul: Hooks (3 – 2:42).
