Reiver Rally; Team Survives Early Season Gut Check with Road Comeback

Ft. Dodge, Iowa

Down 10 at halftime, Iowa Western rallied back with a game-changing third-quarter performance to come from behind and top Iowa Central, 75-72, on the road.

Dustie Obah poured in a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Arielle McElroy added three third-quarter triples en route to scoring 11, as the Reivers earned the season's second win.

"Dustie and Arielle had some big-time plays for us in the second half," Reivers Head Coach Lindsey Vande Hoef said. "Hayley's (Berfield) energy on the defensive end helped spark us as well".

Despite struggling to find the range on offense, Hayley Berfield dished out three assists and grabbed four steals as the team's defensive leader.

Geassy Germano hit seven of nine shots to equal the team high with 15 points, while Gabriella Smith and Brala Benion also scored in double-figures.  IWCC (2-0) outscored the Tritons (1-1) by six in the third and seven in the deciding fourth quarter for the game's final margin.  Offensive rebounding was key for the Reivers who grabbed 25 in the game, an even split of the 50 rebounds they pulled down in the game.

Vande Hoef added, "I'm so excited to see this group have such incredible fight and grit!  We are still learning a lot and trying to get some chemistry on the court, but to see the sophomore leadership helps me believe we're on our way to a great season ahead."

The Reivers host a pair of opponents this week at Reiver Arena as Southwestern is first to visit on Wednesday for a 5:00 pm tip-off.  The game is closed to all fans, but can be seen on the Reiver Sports Network pay-per-view broadcast.  The action can also be followed by downloading the ScoreVision fan app, which follows the action on the scoreboard with added highlights from the game for free.

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