GUNNISON, Colo. – At the conclusion of a back-and-forth contest to begin the 2022-23 season, the Angelo State women's basketball team defeated MSU Denver 80-75 in Gunnison, Colo. at the WCU Conference Challenge.
40 MINUTE RUNDOWN
- Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant scored the first points of the 2022-23 season for the Rambelles as she drained a three-pointer.
- Payton Brown would hit a jumper in the paint as the Belles pulled ahead 14-9 after a 5-0 run in the first quarter.
- Sawyer Lloyd would cap off a five-point first quarter with a fast break layup and free throw.
- Brown would hit another jumper early in the second quarter to stretch the Belles lead to seven, 27-20.
- A Madeline Stephens layup would bring the Belles lead to 11, the largest lead of the first stanza with 4:45 to go in the half.
- The Roadrunners would cut the lead to just five going into the break, 42-37.
- After MSU Denver hit a jumper to cut the lead to three to begin the second half, the Belles would score the next ten points to jump ahead 52-39, their largest lead of the game.
- The Roadrunners would not back down as they chipped the lead down to just three 60-57 heading into the fourth quarter.
- A McGhee-Pleasant layup followed by a Lloyd three would give the Belles some breathing room up six, 65-59 with 7:44 remaining.
- At the 2:19 mark, the Roadrunners would tie up the contest 72-72 after scoring six straight.
- Freshman Keniah Williams scored three straight to pull the Belles ahead 77-72 with just over a minute left.
- Lloyd and Madisen Honea would sink a couple of free throws to see the Belles over the line, winning 80-75.
GAME STATS
- Brown and Lloyd each scored 20 points in the season opener, each also dishing three assists, grabbing six and five rebounds respectively.
- Stephens and McGhee-Pleasant would also mirror each other in a few stats as the pair each scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
- The Rambelles shot 42.9 percent from the field in the contest, 33 percent from deep, and 72.7 percent from the free throw line.
- Defensively, the Belles held MSU Denver to 32.4 percent from the field, 23-71.
- The Belles were outrebounded 52-42 in the contest.
- The Blue and Gold dominated the paint, scoring 34 points to the 22 of the Roadrunners.
- The 24 fast break points and 26 points off turnovers were key to the Belles success in their first game of the WCU Conference Challenge.
NEXT UP
The Rambelles are back in action tomorrow matching up with the hosts, Western Colorado, with tip slated for 8 p.m. (CST) at the Paul Wright Gym in Gunnison, Colo.
