NEW GLARUS - With a goal of getting a winning record by the end of the week, New Glarus senior Sierra Watrud took it upon herself to shoot the Glarner Knights into the lead in the second half against Poynette.
Watrud scored nine of her 13 points in the third quarter as the Knights outscored Poynette 23-11 to roll to a 56-46 crossover Capitol Conference win over the Pumas Thursday, Dec. 19. New Glarus sophomore Vanessa Narveson scored a team-high 15 points and made 5 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
"She found her shot and had the hot hand," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said of Watrud who drilled two 3-pointers in the third quarter surge.
New Glarus (4-4) has won three straight games since losing to Columbus in overtime.
"It got us back to .500," Scheele said. "Our goal was to get back above .500 and have a winning record by the end of the week."
The Knights switched to a 1-3-1 halfcourt press in the second half to slow down the Pumas. Poynette 6-foot 2 center Molly Meixner, who had three blocked shots in the first half, fouled out halfway through the third quarter.
"Our kids work hard in it," Scheele said of the 1-3-1 press. "They fly around and get deflections and steals."
After Meixner fouled out, Scheele said senior Mandi Sargent did a great job of attacking the basket and scored six of her eight points in the third quarter.
The Knights didn't make a field goal in the fourth quarter, but made 15 of 26 free throws in the fourth and finished 55.2 percent (21 of 38).
Early on, the Knights got off to a strong start with a 12-5 run in the first quarter. New Glarus senior Courtney Feller drilled a 3-pointer and the Knights were able to push the ball in transition. The Pumas erased the seven point deficit with a 9-0 spurt sparked by the defense of Meixner who had three blocked shots in the first half.
Poynette junior Jenna Sandstrom hit a 3-pointer to cap the run to give the Pumas a 14-12 lead. New Glarus senior Karina Moen snapped a scoring drought that lasted more than 5 minutes when she scored on a layup with 3:21 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 14. Poynette freshman Destiny Morter answered with a conventional three-point play to give the Pumas a 17-14 lead. The Knights shot just 6 of 21 in the first half, but were able to slice the Pumas' lead to 20-18 at the half.
The Knights put the game away with a 23-11 run in the third quarter. Scheele was happy to get the win, but she's well aware the free-throw shooting must improve.
"The seniors really stepped up for us," Scheele said of Watrud and Sargent. "We didn't shoot great from the free-throw line, but we shot a lot of them. I feel like we can shoot better than that."
Watrud scored nine of her 13 points in the third quarter as the Knights outscored Poynette 23-11 to roll to a 56-46 crossover Capitol Conference win over the Pumas Thursday, Dec. 19. New Glarus sophomore Vanessa Narveson scored a team-high 15 points and made 5 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
"She found her shot and had the hot hand," New Glarus coach Megan Scheele said of Watrud who drilled two 3-pointers in the third quarter surge.
New Glarus (4-4) has won three straight games since losing to Columbus in overtime.
"It got us back to .500," Scheele said. "Our goal was to get back above .500 and have a winning record by the end of the week."
The Knights switched to a 1-3-1 halfcourt press in the second half to slow down the Pumas. Poynette 6-foot 2 center Molly Meixner, who had three blocked shots in the first half, fouled out halfway through the third quarter.
"Our kids work hard in it," Scheele said of the 1-3-1 press. "They fly around and get deflections and steals."
After Meixner fouled out, Scheele said senior Mandi Sargent did a great job of attacking the basket and scored six of her eight points in the third quarter.
The Knights didn't make a field goal in the fourth quarter, but made 15 of 26 free throws in the fourth and finished 55.2 percent (21 of 38).
Early on, the Knights got off to a strong start with a 12-5 run in the first quarter. New Glarus senior Courtney Feller drilled a 3-pointer and the Knights were able to push the ball in transition. The Pumas erased the seven point deficit with a 9-0 spurt sparked by the defense of Meixner who had three blocked shots in the first half.
Poynette junior Jenna Sandstrom hit a 3-pointer to cap the run to give the Pumas a 14-12 lead. New Glarus senior Karina Moen snapped a scoring drought that lasted more than 5 minutes when she scored on a layup with 3:21 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 14. Poynette freshman Destiny Morter answered with a conventional three-point play to give the Pumas a 17-14 lead. The Knights shot just 6 of 21 in the first half, but were able to slice the Pumas' lead to 20-18 at the half.
The Knights put the game away with a 23-11 run in the third quarter. Scheele was happy to get the win, but she's well aware the free-throw shooting must improve.
"The seniors really stepped up for us," Scheele said of Watrud and Sargent. "We didn't shoot great from the free-throw line, but we shot a lot of them. I feel like we can shoot better than that."
