Anderson Keeps Spalding Cold in First Half, Pulls Out Win

The Anderson women's basketball team kept Spalding University in the first half and pulled out a 79-71 win on Monday in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.

Anderson (2-5) held the Eagles (3-5) to 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) shooting in the first half to lead 40-25 at the half. A 12-2 run in the waning minutes put the Eagles within eight points of the Ravens, but the Ravens secured the victory.

"It was a great team win," Coach Jon Gin said. "Everyone was ready to go and fed off the amazing energy from the crowd! We got a huge lift from our bigs off the bench and Jade [Shipley] really sparked us in the second quarter. We're still learning how to close out wins, but all in all, it was a great team effort and we can't wait to do it again on Wednesday."

Spalding steadily built a five-point lead in the first quarter. Carly Holley (Monroe, Ind. / Adams Central) made a layup in the final minute of the first quarter to reduce the lead Spalding carried into the second quarter to 16-13.

The Ravens rolled past the Eagles 27-9 in the second quarter. Spalding was limited to 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) from the field and 0-of-5 from the perimeter in the second quarter. Anderson drained 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) shots from the floor and 5-of-10 (50 percent) attempts from the perimeter in the second quarter.

Anderson opened the quarter with a 12-2 run. Makynlee Taylor (Anderson, Ind. / Lapel) sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 16-all with 9 minutes, 14 seconds left in the quarter. Lexi Dellinger (Berne, Ind. / South Adams) hit another 3-pointer to put Anderson ahead 19-16. The Eagles cut their deficit to 19-18 with 7:33 left in the quarter.

Anderson then went on a 9-0 run during the next 1:16. Jade Shipley (Westfield, Ind. / Westfield) fired up the crowd after hitting back-to-back step-back 3-pointers for the Ravens. The Ravens then received a steal from Shipley and Reece Colclesser (Roanoke, Ind. Huntington North) set up Dellinger for another 3-pointer, giving Anderson a 28-18 lead. The Ravens outscored the Eagles 12-7 for the remainder of the half.

Anderson held a 59-40 lead through three quarters. Dellinger knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:47 remaining, giving Anderson a 67-46 lead and its biggest lead of the game.

The Ravens led 75-57 with 2:35 to go. During the next 2:16, Spalding went on a 12-2 run. Maleah Hirn hit two 3-pointers while Meagan Hayden and Natalie Flitcher each provided 3-pointers for the Eagles during the run. Both teams traded a pair of points in the final 19 seconds. Spalding held a 31-20 advantage against Anderson in the fourth quarter. Hirn scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Anderson finished +20 on the boards, outrebounding Spalding 59-39.

The Ravens converted 30-of-73 (41.1 percent) shots from the floor while the Eagles made 24-of-78 (30.8 percent) from the field.

Anderson committed 19 turnovers while Spalding turned the ball over just five times. The Eagles outscored the Ravens 21-9 off turnovers.

Dellinger notched 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Ravens. Taylor racked up 15 rebounds for Anderson. Shipley provided 13 points and Holley turned in 12 points. Payton Moore (Spiceland, Ind. / Tri) recorded 10 points and eight rebounds. Allison Shaffer (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) tallied eight points. Colclesser and Taylor rounded out Anderson's scoring with three points apiece. Taylor also blocked two shots.

Anderson takes on Kalamazoo College (2-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.