Pride run away from Baker to 80-64 home victory
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Opening Heart of America Athletic Conference play with two-straight home games, the Clarke University women's basketball was able to continue their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 season with an 80-64 win over Baker University in the Kehl Center on Saturday afternoon.
Strong start to each half was the recipe to success for the Pride as they opened the game outscoring BU 18-7 in the opening 10 minutes then also outscored the Wildcats 21-16 in the third quarter and continue it onto the fourth to grow their lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.
In the first, CU would score the first the first four baskets to jump out to an 8-0 and they would never look back with no lead changes or ties over the remainder of the game, the closest Baker would pull the game back would be five points at a 29-24 game in the second quarter but back-to-back buckets for Clarke from Sydni Morris and Hailey Walters would pull it back to 10 in less than a minute of game time.
After finishing her last game with just eight points, Morris bounced back in a big way to lead all scorers with her new Clarke career-high of 21 points while finishing just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine as she led the charge for the Pride in the paint to outscore Baker 36-22 around the rim.
Three other Pride players finished in double figures as Zoe Kennedy had her best overall game in her first four games in navy and gold with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while going 1-for-3 from three point range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line and adding five rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots, and a steal. Walters also got back into a nice shooting rhythm finishing 3-for-6 from deep on her way to 11 points with Maci Kuchta adding 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
The Wildcats had three players in double figures led by 18 points from Alyssa Morris as she added 10 rebounds for a double-double but only shot 4-of-16 from the field, all four of those makes coming from three point range. Both Taniya Tease and Harley Baker added double digits with Tease scoring 14 off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting from the field while Baker had 11 points and five rebounds.
With a sizeable lead in the fourth quarter, CU head coach Adam Hocking was able to play everyone off of his bench including the first acting of the season for returners Aubrey Luvan, Beatrice Atienza, Jorja Hanselman, as well as freshmen Reese Ryan and Breckan Stewart.
Clarke women's basketball will hit the road for their next two games next week against the top-two preseason favorites in the Heart, starting with a trip to Grand View University on Wednesday, Nov. 20 with a scheduled 5:30 p.m. CT tip in Des Moines, Iowa.