Benedictine Mesa Women's Basketball Team defeated Lethbridge College 77-58 on Monday Night.
Both teams struggled early, with Lethbridge's Halle Aleman scoring the first basket at 9:11. Benedictine's
Alexia Wilcox answered with a jumper and a three-pointer to put the Redhawks ahead 5-2. Lethbridge tied it at 9-9 after buckets from Annah Westrop and Aleman. Benedictine regained momentum with contributions from
Nyah Henderson and
Alize Ruiz. The quarter ended 18-17 in favor of Benedictine after a late layup by Courtney Deemter.
Benedictine started strong, led by
Alize Ruiz's rebounding dominance and
Danaya Murray's energy off the bench. Ruiz's free throws and Murray's back-to-back baskets pushed the lead to 26-20. Benedictine's defense forced turnovers, and a three-pointer by Wilcox extended the lead to 33-22. Late free throws from
Naomi Elliot and
Xaria Culver gave the Redhawks a 36-24 halftime advantage.
Benedictine extended their lead with strong offensive play.
Xaria Culver hit a three-pointer, followed by
Naomi Elliot's work on the boards. A steal and layup from Ruiz pushed the lead to 43-26. Lethbridge's Summer James hit a three, but Culver and Elliot responded to stretch the gap to 54-34. Benedictine's bench contributed late, and they closed the quarter leading 60-41.
Lethbridge tried to rally, but turnovers and missed opportunities cost them.
Mya Johnson's three-pointer and back-to-back triples from
Angelique Moreno kept Benedictine in control, leading 71-50.
Danaya Murray sealed the game with a late steal and layup. A final three-pointer from Paighton Kumson closed the game at 77-58.
Key Players:
Looking Ahead:
The Redhawks return to action on Wednesday, December 18, against Montana Western in the Cactus Classic, hosted by CGCC.
