by ROCKLIN, Calif. – Riley Holsinger (Nez Perce Tribe) and Amber Alexander (JR/Grand Blanc, MI) combine for 30 of Vanguard’s 49 points in a victory over William Jessup. The 49-35 win moves the Lions to 16-5, 8-3 on the season.
The Lions outscored WJU in both halves, despite it being a low scoring game for Vanguard’s standards. Neither team shot well in the contest as the Lions shot 24.3% in the first frame while William Jessup shot only 22%.
Vanguard was 2-12 from three point range for the contest, making both in the first period. The Blue and Gold also only shot 13 free throws on the day, lower than what they normally attempt.
Holsinger scored 16 points and had both five rebounds and five assists; while also filling out the rest of the stat sheet with three blocks and two steals. Alexander dropped a double-double with 15 rebounds to go along with her 14 points and five thefts. Maya Kennedy (SO/Huntington Beach, CA) had five points, six boards and two steals. Samantha Doucette (JR/Irvine, CA) scored nine points with three boards, two assists, one block and two steals. The Lions had 13 steals to go combat their 12 turnovers.
Vanguard posted a plus-10 margin in paint points. They scored five more points off turnovers and four more second chance points, coming off 19 offensive rebounds. The Lions posted four fast break points, while WJU held a 13-3 advantage in points off the bench. Lindsey Harter(JR/Grass Valley, CA) hit one of two trey balls for VU’s bench points.
Vanguard jumped out to a quick lead and by the 14:02 mark of the first half, held a 10-4. William Jessup climbed back into the game and took a four point lead with just under 8:30 remaining before halftime. The Lions went on a 12-3 run to end the half and hold a five point advantage at the intermission.
A Doucette jumper pushed the Lions to a 36-24 lead with 9:04 left, which was a game high for VU until the last minute of the game when Holsinger hit four straight free-throws to build a 16 point lead. Alexandria Rodriguez hit a shot with 21 seconds left to put the final margin at 14 points.
The Lions, who have won 10 of their last 12 games, will have the beginning of the week off until they host Arizona Christian on February 12th at 5:30 p.m.
