DENVER — The Southwestern University Pirates women's basketball team bounced back from a loss in the first game of a two-game road to defeat the Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Wildcats 60-46.
Finding more room and touches from her new spot anchoring the second unit, senior Tori Carraway led the Pirates with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists, shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line.
The Pirates' offense was a balanced, efficient attack with nine different players scoring and only Carraway finishing in double figures. Southwestern shot 23-for-48 from the field (47.9 percent), including 6-for-13 from deep (46.2 percent) to offset an 8-for-19 struggle from the free-throw line.
Southwestern started slow offensively, scoring only five points through the first five minutes but shutdown JWU entirely for a 5-0 lead.
Point guard Courtney Maass came off the bench at the five-minute mark and was instant offense off the bench, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and three in the quarter to score nine points and one assist in her first five minutes of play.
Carraway played the entire second quarter, leading the Pirates with six points while the Southwestern defense held JWU to just 28.6 percent shooting in the quarter to take a 32-21 lead in to the break.
Starters Cydnee Lester and Noel Pratts combined for nine points in the third quarter, helping the Pirates keep their distance despite a 10-point third-quarter performance from JWU's Brianna Bailey. Carraway closed the game out in the fourth quarter, scoring six points on three shots.
The Pirates forced 18 turnovers, including 11 steals, to take a 21-15 advantage in points off turnovers and, with the reconfigured lineups, outscored JWU 28-7 in bench points.
With the win, the Pirates improve to 8-12 on the season and 7-4 in conference. Southwestern will hit the road for a game against Schreiner University on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m.