Ravens Comeback to Defeat Vikings

Anderson University women's basketball team (2-1) earned a thrilling 77-76 victory over North Park University (0-4) during the Beth Baker Classic on Saturday in Wheaton, Ill.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• North Park shot 42.1% (32-of-76) from the field, narrowly outpacing Anderson's 40.6% (28-of-69).
• Anderson excelled from beyond the arc, hitting 39.3% (11-of-28), while North Park converted 25.0% (6-of-24).
• North Park capitalized on 75.0% (6-of-8) of their free throws, while Anderson converted 55.6% (10-of-18) from the charity stripe.
• Anderson built a nine-point lead in the first quarter, while North Park held a 13-point advantage in the third.
• The game featured 14 lead changes and three ties, keeping fans on edge.
• North Park outrebounded Anderson 50-38, including a 16-11 edge in offensive rebounds.
• Anderson tallied 10 blocks, with six coming in the second half.
• The 10 blocks are tied for the fourth-most in a single game in school history.
• Anderson outscored North Park 38-24 in the final 14 minutes to secure the comeback victory.
• The Ravens trailed 72-65 with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter.
• Anderson responded with an 8-0 run to go ahead 73-72 with 45 seconds remaining. Bella Larrison hit a 3-pointer, Izzy Davis made a layup and Sarah Sewak knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer.
• Evelyn Abundes quickly responded with a layup to put North Park back ahead 74-73.
• Davis hit a layup with 32 seconds remaining to take a 75-74 lead for the Ravens.
• North Park's Aliyah Hershberger made a key layup with 8 seconds remaining to give North Park a 76-75 lead.
• On the following possession, Davis was fouled to award her two free throws. She sank both free throws with three seconds remaining to put the Ravens up by one. North Park could not get a shot off and Anderson sealed the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Raven of the Game – Makynlee Taylor – 15 Points, 42.8 FG% (6-14), 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 3 Blocks
• Izzy Davis – 16 Points, 50.0 FG% (6-12), 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Block
• Victoria Detraz – 13 Points, 45.4 FG% (5-11), 7 Rebounds (4 Offensive), 3 Blocks
• Bella Larrison – 12 Points, 60.0 3PT% (3-5), 8 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Blocks
• Sarah Sewak – 10 Points, 2 Rebounds
• Paige Williamson – 6 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists
• Brynn Beard – 3 Points, 1 Block
• Emily Reed – 2 Points
• Mackinzie Toliver – 3 Rebounds

COACH JON GIN'S COMMENTS

I'm super proud of how this group battled in a tough back to back. We couldn't hit much in the first half again, but we kept fighting. In the second half, we caught fire and used some timely threes to pull off the comeback. I'm really proud of the late-game execution by this group. Their experience, composure and competitive toughness really showed up in the final two minutes.

UP NEXT

The Ravens open Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) action against Hanover College (2-1, 0-0) on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Hanover.