OMAHA, Neb. – The Ottawa University women's basketball team used a dominant defensive performance and a balanced offensive attack to defeat Peru State College, 77-46, on Friday afternoon in Omaha, Neb. The Braves held the Bobcats to just five points in the second quarter and outscoring Peru State 61-30 over the final three quarters.
Ottawa had three players score in double figures, led by
Dominique Schutte and
McKinley Kruger with 13 points apiece.
Ashlynn Arnsman added 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The Braves forced 24 turnovers, recorded 16 steals, and scored 42 points in the paint.
First Quarter
Ottawa opened the game with a layup by Arnsman off an assist from Kruger. Arnsman added a jumper to give the Braves a 4-2 advantage, but Peru State answered with a 6-2 run to take an 8-6 lead.
Sydney Kessler tied the game at 8-8 with a jumper at the 5:13 mark. The Bobcats responded with four straight points to take a 12-8 lead with 4:22 remaining.
The Braves answered with an 8-0 run. Schutte connected on a 3-pointer,
Addisen Wills scored a layup following a steal, and
Kiana Hostetler knocked down a three to give Ottawa a 16-12 advantage with 2:05 left in the quarter.
Peru State scored the final four points, including a 3-pointer by MaKinley Tobey at the buzzer, to tie the game at 16-16 heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
The Braves took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring Peru State 20-5 while holding the Bobcats to just 8 percent shooting from the field.
Arnsman opened the quarter with a jumper, and
Clare Williams followed with a layup to put Ottawa ahead 20-16. After a Peru State 3-pointer cut the lead to one, Williams scored another layup to extend the Braves' advantage to 22-19.
Ottawa's defense took over, forcing turnovers and limiting the Bobcats' scoring opportunities. A layup by Arnsman pushed the lead to six, and
Kiana Hostetler converted a three-point play to make the score 28-19 with 3:35 remaining.
Kruger followed with a three-point play of her own, and Wills scored off a steal to extend Ottawa's lead to 33-19.
After two Peru State free throws, Schutte connected on a 3-pointer with one minute remaining to give the Braves a 36-21 halftime advantage.
Ottawa held Peru State to just one made field goal in the quarter.
Third Quarter
Ottawa carried its momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with an offensive surge.
After Peru State scored the first basket,
Miranda Patterson answered with a layup. Arnsman followed with a layup, and Patterson scored again to extend the lead to 42-23.
Williams connected on a 3-pointer at the 8:00 mark, and Schutte scored a layup off a Williams assist to push the Braves' lead to 47-23.
Schutte added another 3-pointer with 6:58 remaining, giving Ottawa a 50-23 advantage and completing a 14-2 run to start the quarter.
The Braves continued to pressure Peru State defensively, limiting the Bobcats to 10 points in the period.
Patterson added two free throws late in the quarter as Ottawa entered the fourth with a commanding 52-31 lead.
Fourth Quarter
The Braves continued to control the game in the final quarter, outscoring Peru State 25-15 to secure the 31-point victory.
Schutte opened the quarter with a layup, and Kruger followed with consecutive baskets, including a three-point play, to extend Ottawa's lead to 59-33 with 8:36 remaining.
After Peru State scored four straight points,
Kiana Hostetler connected on a 3-pointer to make the score 62-37. Kruger followed with a 3-pointer of her own, pushing the Braves' advantage to 65-39.
Patterson converted a three-point play with 4:12 remaining to extend Ottawa's lead to 68-39.
The Braves finished the quarter shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc, closing out the 77-46 victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Dominique Schutte finished with a team-high tying 13 points, shooting 5-for-13 from the field and 3-for-9 from behind the arc. She added three rebounds and two steals.
- McKinley Kruger tied for the team lead with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Ashlynn Arnsman scored 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, dished out a team-high five assists, and recorded two steals and one block.
- Miranda Patterson finished with nine points, three rebounds, and one steal, shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
- Kiana Hostetler added nine points in 12 minutes, connecting on two 3-pointers.
- Clare Williams finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists, a game-high five steals, and one block.
- Addisen Wills contributed four points, four rebounds, and four steals.
- Ottawa shot 41.3 percent from the field (31-for-75), 25 percent from 3-point range (7-for-28), and 88.9 percent from the free throw line (8-for-9).
- The Braves held Peru State to 33.3 percent shooting (16-for-48) and 22.2 percent from behind the arc (2-for-9).
- Ottawa forced 24 Peru State turnovers while committing just seven, finishing with a 23-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Braves recorded 16 steals and three blocked shots.
- Ottawa outscored Peru State 42-18 in the paint and 24-11 in bench points.
- The Braves held Peru State to five second-quarter points and allowed just one made field goal during the period.
Who is Next
Ottawa (3-1) plays in its final game of the Omaha Hardwood Classic on Saturday, Nov. 7 in Omaha, Neb. against Bellevue University. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.
