With the victory, Tech, who is ranked No. 1 in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN WBCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, improves to 3-0 for the third consecutive season, while Lambuth falls to 0-3 on the season.
In Saturday’s game, Tech used a strong offensive output that featured five double digit scorers and a 52-18 advantage in points in the paint in dispatching the Lady Eagles.
“I thought we got after it from the start of the game, especially in the first five minutes,” Golden Suns Head Coach Dave Wilbers said. “We also shared the ball well once again tonight and in the second half we started hitting some three-point shots.”
Tech scored the first four points of the game and led 8-5 at 16:40 remaining in the first half when the Golden Suns used a 22-4 run to extend out to a 30-9 lead following a three-pointer by senior All-American guard Jenny Vining (Marshall, Ark.) with 8:27 left in the half. Vining finished the game with 18 points and added seven assists and four steals.
After LU stopped the run on a basket in the paint by Sarah Collins just 17 seconds after Vining’s trey, Tech used a 9-2 run to push out to a 39-13 lead with 4:47 left in the first half following a free throw by senior guard Laura Beth Anderson (Springdale, Ark.). The Lady Eagles closed out the half on an 11-8 run to drop Tech’s lead to 47-24 at the half.
“Our offensive play was a big key in the game, but so too was our defense, which I thought played well today,” Wilbers said.
Tech’s defense held Lambuth to 38 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line. In addition, Tech forced 24 turnovers and held a 50-24 edge on the glass.
The Golden Suns opened the second half on a 22-5 run to push its lead to 69-29 just a little over six minutes out of the locker room. The run was keyed by eight points from junior forward Natalia Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and six points from sophomore forward Jessica Weatherford (Bonnerdale, Ark.).
LU would use an 8-2 run to pull within 71-37 with 11:59 left in the game. But Tech would take control from that point as they outscored the Lady Eagles, 36-23 to set the final margin.
The Golden Suns reached the 100 point mark for the second game on a fast break lay-up by junior forward Lindsey Root (Marion, Ark.) with 2:13 remaining in the contest.
In addition to Vining, Santos led the for the Golden Suns with a game-high 22 points and added seven boards, while Weatherford added 15 points and eight boards. Anderson finished with 13 points in the win and freshman forward Casse Vaughn (Little Rock, Ark.) tallied a career-high 10 points and six rebounds in the victory. In the win, Tech’s inside players combined to score 62 of Tech’s 107 points.
“I thought Casse did a good job considering she’s been sick the past couple of days,” the Tech coach said. “She is really learning our system.”
In the first half, Tech shot just 27 percent from the 3-point line, but hit 44 percent of its three-pointers after halftime to finish the game shooting 33 percent from long distance. Tech finished the game shooting 54 percent from the field and 79 percent (23-for-29) from the foul line.
The Lady Eagles were paced offensively by Franklin, who scored 21 points, while Collins added 16 points and B.B. Brooks chipped in with 10 points in the loss.
Tech will return to action on Monday, Nov. 22 as they conclude its four-game season opening homestand against Central Baptist. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at Tucker Coliseum.
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