VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers picked up their fifth win of the season Friday night at the Physical Education Complex, winning over Malcolm X College 96-70 on the first night of the second VU Classic of the season.
Vincennes grabbed the lead early in the first quarter and quickly built a four-point advantage at the end of the opening 10 minutes of play.
VU would break the game open early in the second quarter, outscoring the Hawks 10-2 to begin the period.
The Lady Blazers would end up taking a 16-point 43-27 lead into the locker room at the break after holding Malcolm X to just nine points in the second quarter.
Vincennes would continue to apply pressure defensively as VU would hold a 66-45 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Lady Blazers put the game away in the fourth quarter after a 9-0 scoring run gave the Blazers a 29-point lead.
Malcolm X would trade baskets with the Blazers late in the fourth quarter but were unable to put together a scoring run to cut into the big lead as VU capped off their fifth win of the season 96-70.
“For the first time in a long time we actually scored some points in the first half,†VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Harry Meeks said. “We ran a couple of plays to get us going early. We ran a play off the tip-off that we scored on.â€
“Our shooting is still erratic,†Meeks added. “I don’t know what to fix it with right now, except to play our way out of it. Maycee had a tough night shooting the ball tonight on plays that she usually makes all the time. You can’t let that bother you. If you miss a shot, the next one is going in. But our team played really hard. We guarded them full court and tried to tire them out and I think we did a pretty good job of that. I’m really pleased with how the girls played. I think they are excited about how we keep getting better. We’ve still got some things to clean up, but we’re working on it.â€
Vincennes was led offensively by sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) who finished with 22 points, a pair of steals and a pair of assists, including four makes from behind the three-point arc.
Sophomore Nyre Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) came off the bench to score in double-figures with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Freshman Katrina Litte (Valmiera, Latvia) also reached double-figures off the bench, ending with 14 points, a team-high five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) was the fourth and final Lady Blazer to reach double-digits, ending with 11 points and three steals.
Freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) just missed a double-double for Vincennes as the six-foot-one center controlled the offensive glass all night on her way to a team-high 12 rebounds, nine offensive rebounds and nine points.
