SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— In a showdown between two of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Thursday night, the number one ranked and first-place Drury Lady Panthers had an easy time against the Lewis Flyers, claiming a decisive 114-63 win at the O'Reilly Family Event Center and moved to 22-0 overall and 13-0 in GLVC action.
Despite the offensive output, it was Drury's relentless defensive pressure that set the tone, as the Lady Panthers tallied 22 steals and forced 29 Flyer turnovers in controlling the contest from the onset.
Playing just under seventeen minutes, senior
Daejah Bernard's stat line was among the keys to the win as she collected seven steals, handed out eight assists and scored eight points while going turnover-free on the night.
"Daejah dictates our tempo and the tone of the game," said Drury head coach
Molly Miller. "That stat line in sixteen minutes is pretty incredible. She's the one that makes us go."
It was a typical quick-start night for the Lady Panthers as they hit a blistering 68 percent from the field on 13 of 19 shooting in the opening quarter en route to a 31-12 advantage after the first ten minutes of action. Then went on to force the Flyers into 18 first-half turnovers and outscored the visitors 27 to 19 in the second quarter for a 58-31 halftime margin.
"When you're playing the number two team in the league, there's a lot riding on it, and you want to make a statement," added Miller. "I was so impressed and pleased with our second effort tonight. It was spectator-worthy."
The Lady Panthers placed five players in double figures with senior
Hailey Diestelkamp leading the way with a game-high 21. Sophomore
Paige Robinson added 17, junior
Payton Richards had a dozen, with juniors
Azia Lynch and
Lauren Holmes tossing in eleven apiece as Drury posted its second-highest scoring number of the season. The Lady Panthers put up 116 points against Missouri S&T on Jan. 30.
Grace Hilber, with 18 points, paced the scoring for the Flyers who fell to 13-8 and 10-3 in GLVC play.
The Lady Panthers return to action Saturday, Feb. 8, when they host Illinois-Springfield in a 1 pm game at the O'Reilly Family Event Center for Overflow the O' presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts.
#allweDUiswin
