COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA
After a gut-check road performance over the weekend, Iowa Western wasted no time Wednesday opening up the offense.
A 25-3 lead after one quarter paved the way for a century mark victory by IWCC (3-0, 3-0) in a 100-44 win over visiting Southwestern (1-2, 1-1).
Gabriella Smith showed off a yin and yang type game, aggressive in the post while knocking down over 40% from three-point range in a 24-point performance.
The Sophomore from Bolingbrook, Illinois also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven helpers with a trio of steals in a stat-packed night.
Hayley Berfield finally shook off an early-season slump to notch 21 points on 10-18 shooting on the night and Arielle McElroy added eight points and led the team with nine assists.
Desislava Kantardzhieva playing for the first time as a Reiver, scored 11 in her debut.
"Overall a great performance for our team," Head Coach Lindsey Vande Hoef said after the game, "I was extremely proud of the way we came out ready to go. Our defensive stops really ignited us and set the tone early."
Isnelle Natabou and Ali Edwards played tough 'D' in the middle for the Reivers, with Natabou blocking three shots and altering numerous others with Edwards collecting four steals to lead the team. The duo also maximized offensive touches, hitting on 8-9 shots between them.
The Reivers took care of the board, leading 55-37 over the Spartans in total rebounding, with Geassy Germano's nine boards leading the way in a shared overall effort. Gabriella Smith (7), Dustie Obah (5), and Ashley Bowen (5) rounded out the top collectors of the night.
Vande Hoef added, "I really am so proud of the way we shared the ball and took the right shot at the right time. The fact that we had 25 assists as a team with Arielle setting a career-high in the process, just showcases our desire to be a team out for each other."
The Reivers now get ready for their toughest battle yet, hosting fellow unbeaten Kirkwood on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm. There's a variety of ways to follow Saturday's tilt. The Reiver Sports Network will have live video of the game https://goreivers.com/information/reiver-sports-network, with live stats available https://goreivers.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/boxscores/20210130_q6cw.xml or follow the game from the video board feed with highlights from the game by downloading the ScoreVision Fan App on any mobile device.
Follow the Reivers on Twitter https://twitter.com/ReiverWBB, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reiverwbb/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReiverWBB
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