SHERMAN, Texas — Fresh off breaking the SCAC record for most 3-pointers in a game, Southwestern's Lauren Fulenwider continued her torrid shooting to lead the Pirates to a 70-63 win over the Austin College Kangaroos.
Fulenwider set the tone with a 3-pointer on the game's first possession off a feed from point guard Ellie Ward and hit two more within the game's first two minutes. The opening scoring burst was part of a 15-point first quarter for Fulenwider, shooting 5-for-9 from long range to help Southwestern to a 24-23 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Austin College extended its defense and upped its intensity in the second quarter, limiting Southwestern to a pair of Fulenwider 3-pointers and forcing seven turnovers to go on a 10-6 run and take a 33-30 lead at the half.
Fulenwider finished the first half with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Austin College's Natalie McCoy led the Kangaroos with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting.
Austin College adjusted its defense at halftime to make Fulenwider the center of its attention, holding Southwestern's leading scorer scoreless with just three shot attempts in the second half. Southwestern showed the depth of talent on its roster by taking advantage of the attention paid to Fulenwider to get other players going.
Reece Sandercock and Kaitlyn Atkinson sparked Southwestern off the bench in the third quarter, combining for 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting as the Pirates outscored Austin College 17-10. Sandercock also blocked four shots in the third quarter, limiting the Kangaroos to 13.6 percent shooting.
In the fourth quarter, Ward outdueled Austin College senior guard McCoy, outscoring her opponent 16-8 in the final 10 minutes, shooting 3-for-4 from the field, including 1-for-2 from the 3-point line and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. The freshman point guard filled up the box score with one of the finest all-around games of her early career, scoring 16 points with eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Sandercock recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, 13 rebounds, and a career-high eight blocks. Her eight blocks are tied for fourth-most in a game by an NCAA Division III player this season and ties the school record set by Staley Mullins in 2011.
McCoy led Austin College with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Southwestern assisted on 15 of its 22 made baskets and outscored Austin College 18-12 at the free-throw line.
Southwestern improves to 7-6 with a 3-2 conference record, dropping Austin College to 2-9 with a 1-2 conference record. The Pirates will stay on the road to play the University of Dallas Crusaders tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.
