Raven Venegas Posts Season-High 19 Points In Win Over MacMurray

ST. LOUIS, Mo.— The Fontbonne University women's basketball team got back to the .500 mark in conference play after sweeping the regular season against MacMurray with a 69-50 win.

The Griffins (8-10; 5-5 SLIAC), shot 48.1 percent from the floor, forced 24 turnovers, and came away with 11 steals.

Individually, Raven Venegas went to work down in the paint and finished with a season-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Rylee Stafford went 4-of-4 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line to conclude with 16 points, while Jillian Venegas contributed 11 of her own.

The Highlanders (2-17; 1-9 SLIAC), rounded out the night with a 33.3 field goal percentage, but did outrebound the Griffins 38-30. Off the bench, Chassidy Hays recorded a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Alexis Doyle was the final player in double-figures with 10.

In the first, it was back-and-forth play throughout but a 3-pointer from Stafford gave Fontbonne a 12-10 lead at the 2:05 mark. They closed out the quarter on a 5-2 run to take the 17-12 advantage.

In the second quarter, the home team came out shooting. They went 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from the field and 4-of-8 from downtown. Defensively, they forced eight more Highlander turnovers.

Fontbonne opened the first three minutes on a 9-0 run as Jillian Venegas' 3-pointer put them well out in front, 26-12.

Later, at 3:43, Hays hit both of her free throws to put MacMurray down 34-20. However, the Griffins finished out the final three minutes on a 9-4 run to own a 19-point (43-24) lead at the break.

In the third, the Griffins offense continued rolling along with Jillian Venegas making her layup to give them a 52-31 lead with 5:16 left. The team held onto its 20-plus point lead and headed into the fourth on top, 58-35.

In the fourth, the Highlanders outscored Fontbonne 15-11 but the Griffins were able to go on for the 19-point win.

The team now jumps out of conference play on Saturday when they'll hit the road to take on St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Tip-off at 1 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the women's basketball team.

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