Second-half burst propels Spartan women

The Southwestern women snapped a 12-game losing streak with a strong second half in Monday’s 63-42 home victory over Peru State JV.

The win came 48 hours after a 63-43 conference loss to 14th-ranked Iowa Lakes. After trailing 21-20 at halftime, the Spartans outscored Peru State 43-21 in the second half.

“We were playing our fourth game in six days, but they pushed through the fatigue and played with a different mindset in the second half,” Southwestern coach Kori Zarzutzki said. “The first half team is not us. When we show up with energy, that’s our game. They went out there and shared the ball and they were running the floor.”

Southwestern had not been victorious since topping Manhattan Christian College on Nov. 21 at Faith Baptist College.

A more aggressive offense attacking the basket, and several layups in transition made the difference for Southwestern after halftime Monday. Jaide McPhee, a 5-8 freshman from Australia, led the Spartans with 22 points and seven rebounds. Point guard Jordyn Hall of Danielsville, Georgia, provided 19 points with five assists and a pair of steals.

Maddie Richter, freshman from Anita, led Southwestern with 12 points in Saturday’s loss to Iowa Lakes. The Lakers took control early with a 19-5 first quarter, with their pressure defense triggering several transition baskets.

“We had a tough first quarter with a lot of turnovers,” Zarzutzki said. “We lost the second half by two. It was just too many turnovers in that first half. I thought Roslynn Huston played tough tonight with 13 rebounds and six points. We’ve had a couple injuries and that makes a difference with a small roster.”

Southwestern had eight players available for the two games. Nora Olana, 5-6 freshman from Spain, and 5-4 freshman Olivia Clark of Mesquite, Texas, were out with injuries.

The Spartans (4-15 overall, 0-10 conference) traveled to Norfolk, Nebraska on Wednesday to face No. 25-ranked Northeast Community College in ICCAC play.

SATURDAY

SOUTHWESTERN (43) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 15 9-18 43. Maddie Richter 4 2-2 12, Jordyn Hall 2 3-8 7, Tammy Scott 2 1-2 6, Roslynn Huston 2 2-4 6, Jaide McPhee 2 1-2 5, Shoval Dor 2 0-0 4, LaiLah Austin 1 0-0 3. 3-point goals — 3 (Richter 2, Scott 1). Team fouls — 20. Fouled out — None.

IOWA LAKES (63) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 23 13-24 63. Shayna Glover 5 3-10 14, Tahlea Tirrell 4 3-4 13, Tavara Swonger 4 3-4 11, Makyla Kenney 3 3-4 9, Erica Welsh 3 1-2 8, Baakir Christian 2 0-0 4, Carley Lewellen 2 0-0 4. 3-point goals — 4 (Tirrell 2, Welsh 1, Glover 1). Team fouls — 19. Fouled out — Glover.

MONDAY

SOUTHWESTERN (63) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 28 5-7 63. Jaide McPhee 9 3-3 22, Jordyn Hall 8 2-4 19, Maddie Richter 3 0-0 6, LaiLah Austin 3 0-0 6, Shoval Dor 3-8 0-0 6, Roslynn Huston 1 0-0 2, Malaina Rodriguez 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 28-69 (40.6 percent). 3-point goals — 2-13 (Hall 1, McPhee 1). Rebounds — 35 (McPhee 7, Austin 7, Hall 5, Huston 5, Dor 5). Assists — 13 (Hall 5, McPhee 3, Dor 2). Steals — 10 (Richter 3, Hall 2, McPhee 2, Dor 2). Blocked shots — 4 (McPhee 2, Huston 2). Turnovers — 15. Team fouls — 13. Fouled out — None.

PERU STATE JV (42) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 16 7-15 42. Lauryn Dusatko 7 0-0 16, Marissa Malcolm 4 4-6 12, Hevin Kitchum 2 0-2 4, Hailey Ptizi 1 1-2 4, Ashley Carlton 1 0-0 2, Jasmine Turbiates 1 0-0 2, Ashlynn Cortina 0 2-5 2. FG shooting — 16-63 (25.4 percent). 3-point goals — 3-19 (Dusaatko 2, Ptizi 1). Rebounds — 33 (Dusatko 8, Malcolm 8). Assists — 7 (Roby 4). Steals — 6 (Roby 3). Blocked shots — 2. Turnovers — 17. Team fouls — 10. Fouled out — None.