Bethel women defeat Ottawa to improve KCAC mark
The Threshers dominated the Braves on the road after hitting 55% from the field and behind the arc.
OTTAWA — The Bethel women’s basketball team defeated Ottawa 95-79 on Wednesday in a night that saw the Threshers have a tremendous shooting night, hitting 55% of shots from the field, and behind the arc.
“We ran the floor very well and were able to get great looks which leads to a higher percentage,” said interim head coach Rocky Lamar on the big offensive performance.
The Threshers had five players score 15 points or more in their big win. Freshmen Kendall Locke and Madyson Mckinzie led the way with 22 and 17 respectively. Sophomore Caryn Yoder and junior Natalie Richards both added 16 for the Threshers as junior Carley Robb added 15, behind five of seven three-point shooting.
“We have a goal in mind and I believe there is nothing stopping us from achieving that if we continue to battle every day,” said Locke, who added seven rebounds and seven assists for the Threshers. “I want this team to shock the world and by staying focused and motivated we can do that no doubt.”
Despite its 2-1 start in conference play so far, Bethel has struggled in certain areas this year including rebounds and turnovers. The Threshers lost both these areas in their game against Ottawa, being out-rebounded by nine and turning the ball over 21 times in the game.
“Moving forward we need to make smarter decisions, whether that is passing or [stopping] things like traveling or double dribbling,” said Yoder from Hesston about the Threshers’ struggles. “I also think we can improve our rebounding. Some teams get too many second-chance points on us, and if we rebound, we can eliminate those.”
Despite these struggles from the Threshers, they have found ways to win so far against their KCAC opponents, a big feat for a team that has hurting in the rebounding and turnover categories. The Threshers are looking forward to the rest of their schedule with optimism, and are ready to shake things up in the KCAC.
“We are the underdogs going into every game and I like it that way,” said Yoder. “We all have the mindset that we want to win every game, but all the games in our conference will be tough.”
The Threshers will take on Saint Mary at 2 p.m. in Thresher Gym on Saturday, looking to improve their conference standing to 3-1.