Box Score

Season Stats

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Pitt State Women's Basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season with a solid 68-40 win over Evangel in the first day of the MSSU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday (November 23) evening.

LIzzy Jeronimus led the Gorillas with her first double-double of the season, 29 points and 12 rebounds. She shot 65 percent (13-for-20) from the floor and added three steals, two assists and a blocked shot. Lauren Brown was the team's second leading scorer and rebounder with eight points and nine rebounds. Kylie Gafford added six points and Alexa Bordewick, five. Morgan Westhoff, Y'Cedria Devers and Hailey Roderique each added four points. Roderique also led the team with four assists.

Pitt State shot 47 percent overall, but only 18 percent from beyond the arc. The Gorillas had an 11-point advantage on the board 43-32. The Pitt State defense held Evangel to 33 percent shooting on the game, including only 31 percent in the second half.

The Crusaders were able to keep the game close in the early minutes of the first half, but a 6-0 PItt State run lasting just over four minutes allowed the Gorillas to start pulling away. The big surge came late in the first half, as PSU's defense was able to hold Evangel scoreless for the last 4:03, while putting up 13 points for a 35-17 halftime lead.

It was more of the game in the second half, as Pitt State allowed only two Evangel points from 12:53 to 2:25. During that time the Gorillas scored 20 points to have a 66-31 lead, the largest of the game, with 3:07 remaining. Pitt State scored only two more points, on free throws from Y'Cedria Devers, from that point on. The Crusaders added nine for the final 68-40 score.

Evangel's Sierra McSpadden, who had been averaging 18 points a game, was held to just nine. Emily Akins added eight.

Pitt State will finish the MSSU Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday (Nov. 24) against Avila at 1 p.m.