Hooks’s big second half pushes Lady Blazers to Region 24 road victory

CARTERVILLE, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers hit the road Saturday afternoon for another Region 24 showdown, this time facing off against the Lady Vols of John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill.

VU freshman Destinee Hooks (Indianapolis, Ind.) was a clear and obvious player of the game again for the Lady Blazers, finishing with another double-double with 37 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, including 22 points in the second half, 15 of which coming in the fourth quarter.

Vincennes got off to a very slow start at John A. Logan, with the Lady Volunteers jumping out to an early 18-5 lead over the Lady Blazers.

VU would look to rally back and cut the deficit by closing out the first quarter on a 9-0 scoring run to end the first 10 minutes of action trailing 22-19.

The Lady Trailblazers would add to the scoring run to begin the second quarter, battling all the way back to take a 24-22 lead early in the second quarter.

The second quarter was very back and forth with the lead changing hands six times in the quarter with John A. Logan holding firm with a 45-42 halftime lead over the Blazers.

Vincennes looked to take the game up to another level in the second half, coming out in the third quarter firing to take a 55-51 lead and using an 11-0 scoring run to take a 68-55 advantage.

John A. Logan responded back in a big way closing out the third quarter on a 13-0 scoring run to even the game at 68-68 going to the fourth quarter.

The Lady Trailblazers struck first in the fourth quarter using an 8-0 scoring run to take an 81-74 lead.

John A. Logan would cut the deficit back down to four but were unable to take the lead back as the Lady Blazers closed out strong to come away with the 93-89 victory over the Lady Vols.

VU was led offensively by another 30-point night by freshman Destinee Hooks, who finished the game with 37 points and ending with 11 rebounds for her third collegiate double-double.

Hooks also led the Lady Blazers with seven assists and five steals on the game.

Freshman Giavonnie Belton (Indianapolis, Ind.) came off the bench to record 18 points on the day, naturally coming in the form of six made three-pointers.

Sophomore Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) just missed out on another double-double, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Freshman Makyla Tucker (Indianapolis, Ind.) was the fourth VU Lady Blazers scorer in double figures, coming off the bench to add 11 points, four assists and three steals.

Vincennes will look to keep this momentum going next week when the Lady Trailblazers host Southwestern Illinois College Wednesday, Feb. 21 on Play 4 Kay night at the Physical Education Complex.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Wednesday's game to show your support for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against cancer. Tip-off time for the Lady Trailblazers is set for 5 p.m. eastern.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (93): Destinee Hooks 15-26 5-8 37, Karina Scott 1-3 0-0 2, Katrina Litte 0-5 1-4 1, Elikya Baseyila 5-13 2-2 12, Maycee Lange 1-3 0-0 3, Giavonnie Belton 6-16 0-0 18, Makyla Tucker 4-7 2-3 11, Najra Voloder 2-3 0-0 4, Brie Miller 2-6 1-2 5, Team 36-82 11-19 93.

VU (14-9, 9-1) – 19   23   26   25 – 93

John A. Logan – 22   23   23   21 – 89

Three-point goals: VU 10 (Belton 6, Hooks 2, Lange, Tucker). Rebounds: VU 39 (Hooks 11). Assists: VU 19 (Hooks 7). Steals: VU 18 (Hooks 5). Blocked Shots: VU 4 (Baseyila, Lange, Voloder, Miller). Turnovers: VU 20. Personal Fouls: VU 18. Fouled out: None.