The Drury Lady Panthers remain undefeated on the season with a win at home over William Jewell.
Here’s the recap from Drury University Athletics:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– The number one ranked Drury Lady Panthers moved within one victory of completing a perfect unbeaten regular season Thursday night as they defeated William Jewell 98-57 at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
As it has been for most of this season, Drury used an early surge in the game to improve to 28-0 overall, and 19-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
After falling behind early at 17-9 to the Cardinals midway through the first period, the Lady Panthers went on a 13-0 run to close the quarter and then outscored the visitors 38-19 in the second period to hold a 60-36 lead at halftime.
“It seems like this team can turn it on when they want to,” said Drury head coach Molly Miller. “We’ve got to get a little more consistency because when you turn the page on Sunday to March, it’s a whole different ballgame, and you’re playing really elite teams.”
The Lady Panthers put any question about the outcome to rest in the third period as they outscored William Jewell (11-16, 7-12) by a score of 23-8 in the quarter while forcing the Cardinals into a variety of miscues.
Senior Hailey Diestelkamp led the way in scoring with 19 points as Drury placed four players in double figures. Junior Lauren Holmes had 15, senior Brooke Stanfield came off the bench to contribute 14, and junior Payton Richards had 13 also in a reserve role.
“Really good team effort tonight and for us to get bodies in and out,” added Miller. “The balance with this team has always been crucial, and I think depth going into March is crucial as well.”
Kiara Bradley was the lone Cardinal to reach double figures, finishing with a team-high 13.
Drury forced 34 turnovers in the contest, including 20 steals, eight of those coming from Lauren Holmes. The Lady Panthers won the battle on the boards, grabbing 45 rebounds to 27 for the Cardinals.
Drury has now won 66 consecutive regular season games, 56 straight in GLVC play, and 53 in a row at home, with their last home loss coming in November of 2016.
The Lady Panthers will close out their regular season schedule on Saturday, February 29th, when they host Rockhurst in a 1 pm showdown at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Senior Day ceremonies will start before the game at approximately 12:50 pm.
