W-Basketball: #2 Golden Eagles Pull Away Late at Joliet
#2 NJCAA DIII Rock Valley College opened up N4C play at Joliet Junior College and came away with a 75-52 win. The Golden Eagles improve to 12-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
RVC built a lead and held it throughout the entire game, however, the host Wolves did not go down without a fight. The Golden Eagles held a 10 point halftime lead, and led by 12 through 3 quarters. In the final frame, RVC outscored Joliet 22-11 to pull away to a 23-point victory. RVC's defense held the Wolves to 19-59 FG (32.2%) and 3-15 shooting from behind the arc (20%). Back-to-back three-point field goals from sophomore
Jaycee Cleaver allowed RVC to pull away for good.
"We stuck with it," stated Head Women's Basketball Coach
Misty Opat. "Whenever we would make a run, Joliet would claw back into the game. We did a nice job of not panicking and responding to their run with stops and quality offensive possessions. In the fourth quarter, we finally starting firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor to finish the game. Conference road games are tough, and I am proud of our effort."
RVC was fueled by double-doubles from guard
Jaycee Cleaver (24 points and 12 rebounds) and sophomore
Tierra McGowan (20 points and 12 rebounds). This marks the 12th time in 15 games that McGowan has recorded a double-double. Freshman
Emily Cox contributed 13 points.
UP NEXT
RVC hosts South Suburban College on Friday, January 6th in the Physical Education Center. Tip off time is set for 6 PM.
