Griffins Get It Done Defensively In Win Over Blackburn

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University women's basketball team got it done on the defensive side of the ball with a season-high 23 steals in the 73-38 win over Blackburn.

The Griffins (10-12; 6-7 SLIAC), shot 48.3 percent from the field and dominated the glass with a 45-31 advantage. Paige Black and Sarah Schraut tied with 15 points each, while Raven Venegas and Rylee Stafford finished with 12 and 10 points.

The Beavers (4-18; 1-13 SLIAC), never got its offense going on Wednesday night. The team shot 26.4 percent from the floor and committed 29 turnovers. Lexie Black and Savannah Kruse had 10 points each.

In the first, a bucket from Lexie Black put the Beavers down 9-6 at the 3:48 mark. However, the Griffins closed out on a 5-0 run, all points coming from Paige Black, which gave them the 14-6 lead after one.

In the second, the Griffins broke the game wide open. They outscored Blackburn 28-13 and shot 60.0 percent from the field compared to 35.7 percent for the Beavers.

At the 5:42 mark, the team expanded its lead out to 29-15 on Schraut's 3-pointer. From there, the team rattled off a 13-4 run the final five minutes which gave them a comfortable 42-19 lead at the break.

The team didn't let its foot off the gas in the third as Jillian Venegas gave Fontbonne a 51-22 lead after going 1-of-2 from the line at 5:50. They expanded its lead out to 30-plus going into the fourth with a 59-28 lead.

In the fourth, the Griffins went 6-of-11 from the field and came away with five more steals en route to the 35-point win.

The team returns to action on the road against Eureka on Saturday. Tip-off at 1 p.m.

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