ADRIAN, Mich. -- The 19th-ranked Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University women's basketball team defeated Siena Heights (Mich.) University 70-57 on Saturday night in Adrian, Mich. It is the second time in program history that the Blue Devils reached the 20-win plateau.
Lawrence Tech (20-4, 12-3) jumped out to an early lead as they lead 12-2 at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter. The Blue Devils closed the quarter with a 5-0 run to take a 19-8 lead into the second. Kaitlyn Smith (SO/Holly, Mich.) three-pointer gave Lawrence Tech a 24-9 lead early into the second quarter.
Siena Heights cut the lead to eight, 26-18, with 4:39 left in the quarter, but the Blue Devils were able to extend it to 15 points at halftime, 37-22. Nicole Buckingham (JR/Saginaw, Mich.) had a team high 14 points in the first 20 minutes while Rachel Price (SO/Springboro, Ohio) grabbed a team high five rebounds.
Lawrence Tech opened the third quarter with a pair of layups to push the lead to 41-22, but the Saints battled back to with 10 at 42-32 following a 10-1 run with 4:44 left in the quarter. The Blue Devils extended the lead back up to 16, 50-34, with 3:27 on the clock after a Teryn Kline (FR/Fort Wayne, IN) three. Siena Height closed the quarter with a pair of free-throws to make it 50-36.
In the fourth quarter, the Saints got the game to within nine points with 6:35 left, but the Blue Devils hit four of their next six shots to go back up 15 points with 2:21 remaining in the game. Lawrence Tech hit five of their six free-throw shots down the stretch to seal the 70-57 win at Siena Heights.
Buckingham led the way with 20 points and three steals while Price added 10 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists. Hayley Walkowski (SR/Marshall, MI) finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Taylar McNeal finished with a team high 12 points for Siena Heights in the loss.
Lawrence Tech is back on the court Wednesday, January 31 when they travel to Grand Rapids, Mich. to face Aquinas (Mich.) College. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m.
Follow @LTUAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube | #BlueDevilsDare
