WAVERLY, Iowa - The No. 5-ranked Wartburg women's basketball team opened the NCAA Tournament on its home court Friday evening, defeating Monmouth College 91-55.
The Knights, now 25-3 overall, will host No. 11 Whitman College tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. inside Levick Arena.
Wartburg shot 33-of-59 from the field, 7-of-20 from long-range, and 18-of-22 at the charity stripe. The Knights were stout defensively, limiting the Fighting Scots to under 30 percent field goal marks, forcing 13 turnovers, and claiming a 44-15 lead in rebounds. In addition, the Orange & Black held a 52-16 lead in points in the paint and 19-6 in fast break points.
After a competitive start in the first 10 minutes, Wartburg outscored Monmouth 32-9 in the second quarter, holding the Scots scoreless for eight minutes while gaining a 50-24 lead at halftime. The Knights shot 65.5 percent from the field in the first half.
The home team maintained a lead at least in the 20's throughout the second half, extending its lead to 30 near the end of the third quarter.
All 15 Knights who dressed for the NCAA postseason contest got into the game. Wartburg claimed its largest advantage in the final minute of the game, as
Bailey Brown hit three consecutive three-pointers.
Five Knights scored in double figures, led by 14 points from
Emma Gerdes and followed by
Payton Draper,
Amanda Brainerd,
Kaitlyn Volesky, and
Macy Harris. Volesky and
Bailey Naig shared the team-lead with eight rebounds each while
Tori Hazard tied a season-high with four blocked shots.
Gerdes also became Wartburg's all-time games played leader, passing Katie and Kristie Sommer (2014-18) in the record book with her 119th career game in Orange & Black.
