Lady Trailblazers survive tough road test at Olney Central College

OLNEY, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers were on the road for the final time during the 2024-25 regular season Wednesday night heading to nearby Olney, Ill. to face off against the Lady Blue Knights of Olney Central College.

The Lady Blazers faced a tough road battle against the Lady Blue Knights but were able to use a big second half to pick up the 69-63 victory.

VU opened the game off to a hot start, using an early 11-3 scoring run to pull ahead 11-6 midway through the first quarter.

Olney Central would cut the deficit back to one before the Lady Blazers finished the opening quarter with the final four points to take a 17-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

Vincennes would continue to add to this lead early in the second quarter, building their first double-digit lead of the night at 27-16.

Olney Central would respond however and close out the first half of play strong, scoring the final 10 points of the half to even the score 29-29 at the halftime break.

Olney Central continued this momentum into the second half, using a 7-0 run in the third quarter to take a 36-30 lead before the Lady Blazers answered with three straight triples to regain the lead at 39-36.

This was the beginning of a 16-2 scoring run which saw the Blazers build a 46-38 advantage midway through the third period.

Olney Central continued their trend of closing out quarters strong, battling back to even the score at 48-48 before the Lady Blazers hit a basket at the buzzer to take a 50-48 lead into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was back and forth, much like the rest of the game, with Vincennes grabbing the early advantage with a 60-55 lead.

VU kept the pressure on down the stretch and would get some breathing room late with four straight points to increase their lead to seven.

Olney Central kept fighting but were unable to overcome this deficit at the Lady Blazers closed out the 69-63 road Region 24 victory over Olney Central College.

The Lady Trailblazers were led offensively by freshman Ahmya Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) who came off the bench to add 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Freshman Delora Pricop (Satu Mare, Romania) fell just short of a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Sophomore Marta Gutierrez (Alicante, Spain) finished her night with 11 points, six assists and four rebounds, while freshman Emani Washington (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 11 points, five assists and a team-high three steals.

Freshmen Jazmyn Robey (Sellersburg, Ind.) and Netala Dixon (Dyersburg, Tenn.) were just short of scoring in double figures, with Robey finishing with nine points and six rebounds and Dixon ending with nine points and team-highs with 12 rebounds and seven assists.

The Lady Trailblazers will return home to the P.E. Complex Saturday, March 1 as the Lady Blazers close out the 2024-25 regular season on Sophomore Night against No. 5 ranked Wabash Valley College at 5 p.m. eastern.

Saturday is also Good Samaritan Night at the Physical Education Complex sponsored by Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes and also VU's annual Blaze to a Community Cure Cancer Awareness Night.

Funds raised through ticket sales, donations and special merchandise sales leading up to, as well as the day of the event, will be directed toward assisting families in the Vincennes community who are facing cancer-related difficulties. A portion of the funds will also go toward cancer research, treatment and local support services.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (69): Jazmyn Robey 3-10 0-0 9, Marta Gutierrez 4-9 3-4 11, Emani Washington 4-9 1-2 11, Netala Dixon 3-10 3-5 9, Delora Pricop 5-13 2-2 12, Ahmya Thomas 7-13 1-2 17, Iris Comesana 0-1 0-0 0, Team 26-65 10-15 69.

VU (16-13, 10-3) – 17   12   21   19 – 69

Olney Central – 12   17   19   15 – 63

Three-point goals: VU 7 (Robey 3, Washington 2, Thomas 2). Rebounds: VU 41 (Dixon 12). Assists: VU 23 (Dixon 7). Steals: VU 9 (Washington 3). Blocked Shots: VU 5 (Pricop 3). Turnovers: VU 19. Personal Fouls: VU 19. Fouled Out: Robey.