IRVING, Texas — Southwestern point guard Ellie Ward confidently flexed her all-around game, recording her first collegiate double-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to help lead the Pirates to a 66-61 win over the Dallas Crusaders.
Ward was efficient, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, and clutch, scoring 10 points on five shots in the fourth quarter. It was the second consecutive game Ward reached double-digit scoring in the fourth after scoring 16 in the previous night's win over Centenary.
The freshman guard from Waco, Texas, has scored double figures in four of Southwestern's past five games, shooting over 40 percent in each of her double-digit scoring games. Ward's emergence alongside senior Lauren Fulenwider has given Southwestern one of the most dynamic backcourts in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and keyed a three-game winning streak.
Fulenwider entered the game as the conference's third-leading scorer and scorching hot from downtown, breaking the SCAC record for most 3-pointers in a game against Centenary, then hitting seven in the first half against Austin College.
The recent shooting tear put Fulenwider front and center in Dallas's defensive game plan. The Crusaders face-guarded Fulenwider the entire game, assigning a defender to shadow her every step even if it meant turning their back to everything else happening in the game.
For three quarters, it worked, limiting Fulenwider to just four shot attempts, of which she nailed a pair of 3-pointers.
With so much attention paid to Southwestern's 3-point shooters, center Princess Roberts had more than enough opportunity to work inside. Roberts went off for 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the second quarter to lead the Pirates to a 28-21 lead at the half. The SCAC's leading rebounder combined overwhelming strength, a quick first step, and solid footwork on a series of spin moves to create space inside for layups and short hooks to finish with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, scoring all her points in the first three quarters. She also grabbed 11 rebounds to finish with her fifth double-double.
Dallas mounted a comeback in the second half, with SCAC-leading scorer Canai McPherson scoring 23 of her career-high 35 points to pull within two at 40-38 heading into the fourth quarter.
Ward opened the quarter by nailing a jumper, then found Fulenwider for a 3-pointer to go back up by seven. After being shadowed the entire game, Fulenwider appeared to decide if the defender wasn't going to give her any space, she'd fire without it, draining all three 3-pointers she attempted in the fourth quarter in her defender's face to finish with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting against a defense geared towards not even letting her get the ball.
Southwestern outrebounded Dallas 48-37 and limited the Crusaders to 28.6 percent shooting, continuing trends that have the Pirates as the top defensive rebounding team in Division III and the fourth-best defensive field goal percentage team.
The Pirates improve to 8-6 with a 4-2 conference record. Southwestern will host Texas Lutheran on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m., then host Dallas in a rematch on Saturday at home.
