Wayne State built a 44-18 halftime lead and saw all 13 players score as the Wildcats cruised to a 79-62 win over Concordia-Portland (Ore.) Saturday afternoon at the Radison Hotel MSP North Women’s Basketball Classic in St. Paul, Minn.
The Wildcats never trailed in the contest, scoring the first 10 points of the game for a 10-0 advantage 4:30 into the contest. Wayne State finished the opening stanza with a 22-5 lead, making 7-of-14 shots and 7-of-10 free throws.
Wayne State outscored the Cavaliers 22-13 in the second quarter and held a sizeable 26-point advantage at the break.
In the third quarter, Wayne State made 9-of-16 shots while holding Concordia-Portland to just 4-of-18 shooting as the Wildcats outscored the Cavaliers 21-13 in the quarter to lead 65-31.
Concordia-Portland caught fire from the field in the fourth quarter, making 10-of-17 shots and 9-of-2 at the free throw line to outscore Wayne State 31-14 making the game closer as the Wildcats finished with a 79-62 victory.
Senior forward Anna Martensen led a balanced Wildcat attack with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 at the foul stripe. Paige Ballinger also hit double figures with 14 points. Both players were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Wayne State held a 39-35 edge in rebounding over the Cavaliers thanks to eight boards from Martensen and seven by Ballinger. The Wildcats had 18 steals and 18 assists in the contest. Maggie Schulte and Haley Moore each had four assists while Martensen had a team-high five steals. Freshman Taylor Wangerin had three of Wayne State’s six blocks in the win.
Wayne State (5-1) returns home next weekend for a pair of Northern Sun Conference games, hosting Minnesota State Friday at 6 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul Saturday in a 4 p.m. contest.
