DELAND, Fla. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team closed out its Florida trip with a 69-50 victory over Florida A&M on Friday, Dec. 21 during day two of the Stetson Hatter Classic.
A second-half surge and collective scoring effort guided the Broncos to victory after a one-point deficit at the half. Down 27-26 at the intermission, WMU outscored FAMU 43-23 in the second half, leading to the win.
"I think our team discovered the value of moving both bodies on the ball, offensively," said head coach Shane Clipfell. "We've have been preaching on the more touches we get in a possession, the more likely we are to make a shot. I thought the last 20 minutes was a good sampling of that. It means we are going home into the holidays feeling much better about ourselves and we know that we can score the ball. That's what has been ailing us, so hopefully we can string some of that together now."
All 10 Broncos who saw playing time contributed in the scoring column. WMU converted a season-high 11 three-point field goals and shot 36.4 percent from the field (20-for-55).
Jasmyn Walker led WMU with 10 points, while Kamrin Reed and Leighah-Amori Wool each added nine, and Maxine Moore and Deja Wimby totaled eight each. Reed, Moore, and Walker each tallied two three-point field goals. Moore and Meredith Miller tied for the team-lead with six rebounds each. Wimby and Wool tied for the lead with four assists each.Â
After going down 10-4 near the midway point of the first frame, the Broncos responded following a timeout with a 7-2 run, finished by a Max Moore three-pointer to put WMU behind 11-12 heading into the second quarter.
The two teams each added 15 points in the second quarter. WMU first came within one point of FAMU with 4:39 left in the half as Jillian Fletcher nailed her first career three-point field goal to move the score to 20-19. Another Bronco three-pointer, from Walker, tied the game at 24-24 soon after. The Rattlers answered with a three of their own followed by a Nina Farkic to set the score at 27-26 in favor of Florida A&M at halftime.
WMU took its first lead since the first basket of the game early in the second half with a Wimby layup, giving the Broncos a 31-30 advantage. A pair of lead changes ensued prior to the Broncos hitting back-to-back three-pointers by Walker and Wool, giving WMU a 43-36 lead and forcing a FAMU timeout.
The momentum carried throughout the rest of the game as the Broncos led for the remainder of the contest. A step-back jumper by Logan McCane gave WMU its largest lead of the game. A 22-point advantage at 66-44 with two and a half minutes left on the game clock.
For her performance throughout the two games, Deja Wimby was selected to the Hatter Classic All-Tournament Team.
Game Notes
- Jillian Fletcher converted her first career field goal in Brown & Gold with a three-pointer. She scored a career-high five points with two field goals and a free throw.Â
- Max Moore's two three-pointers are a season/career-high. She converted her first collegiate three-point field goal in the Hatter Classic opener versus North Dakota.
- Moore also made her first collegiate start
- WMU's 69 points ties a season-high, set twice versus Purdue Fort Wayne and Florida Atlantic.
- WMU's 11 three-point field goals and 19 assists are both season-highs
Up Next
Western Michigan, now 5-5 overall, closes out the calendar year back at University Arena on Monday, Dec. 31, hosting Saginaw Valley State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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