Port Huron, MI - Sophomore sharpshooter
Dayja Evans scored 22 points to lead the ICC women's basketball team to an 82-73 win over Edison State (OH). Evans connected on a career-high seven three-pointers (going 7-12 from downtown) as the Cougars had an 11-23 showing from downtown (48%) as a team.
Cierra McNamee added 10 points and 6 rebounds as all ten players made it into the scoring column to help get the gritty win. The Cougars (25-10) will play now Niagara County (NY) in the Consolation Semifinal Round.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as each team worked to establish their respective styles. McNamee and
Peyton Dearing each got layups to open the scoring, Evans hit a trey (assist McNamee) followed by two more McNamee baskets but the Cougars trailed 20-18 after the first quarter.
Kayla Gordon scored on a runner and
Kyleigh Block added a three-pointer to give ICC a 23-20 lead but Cougar miscues allowed ESCC to get back even. Evans and Gordon each hit treys but turnovers plagued the Cougars, limiting their scoring opportunities.
Kristyn Mitchell scored inside,
Courtney Jones hit a runner, and Evans hit her third trey of the half (assist Mitchell) as the teams went to halftime tied at 38-all.
ESCC went on a run to start the third to take a 49-44 lead, but Evans hit back-to-back bombs and
Laisha Armendariz-Lopez added another trey (all on assists by Block) to give the Cougars a 53-49 advantage. Edison State tied the score at 53-all but the Cougars responded with a 10-2 spurt on buckets by
Keijah Gray and Mitchell and three-pointers by Evans and Armendariz-Lopez to go up 63-55.
ICC got fouled on their first three shots of the quarter but only hit three of the freebies allowing ESCC to stay within striking distance at 66-59.
T'yana Lovelace added a jumper in the paint and then found Evans for her seventh trey as the Cougars forged ahead 71-59. Lovelace added two more scores and ICC hit 7 of 10 free throws down the stretch for the final margin, giving the Cougars another day of basketball on Friday.
Final stats showed the Cougar defense holding Edison State to just 13-42 shooting in the second half (31%) while out-rebounding the spunky Chargers 47-32. The Cougar bench also came up big, scoring nearly half of the team's points to help the cause.
Leaders:
Dayja Evans | 22 points, 3 rebounds
Cierra McNamee | 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks
Kayla Gordon | 9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 charge taken
Courtney Jones | 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Peyton Dearing | 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 charge taken
Next up:
7th Place Semifinal
#4 ICC COUGARS (25-10)
vs. #9 Niagara County Thunderwolves (29-4)
Friday, March 18th, 2022 - 12:00 PM CST Tipoff
Live Video ($)
Live Audio (Free)
