Box Score
MAYVILLE, ND – The #23 Comets returned home after a good stretch of being out on the road for their recent games, they took on Viterbo University at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on Friday night for a big conference matchup. After a split on the road last weekend at the Briar Cliff Holiday Classic, the Comets were looking to claim a victory in another North Star conference battle.
In first half action, the Comets came out firing from long range, with
Karleigh Weber going 3 for 4 in the quarter, helping move things from the 7-6 lead to a 13-6 one in a hurry. They built their lead by as much as 14 at the end of the first quarter, limiting the V-Hawks to only ten points to the Comets' 24. The second quarter saw the V-Hawks coming alive with Alyssa Nilssen producing some points early in the quarter, putting in eight of her first twelve buckets for the V-Hawks. A balanced attack from the Comets kept the visiting team at a distance, with six Comets scoring in the quarter. At the end of the half, the Comets were still up 38 to 29.
It was an evenly matched second half for both teams, each team scored 13 in the third, then 17 each in the final quarter.
Andi Gayner led the charge in the third quarter for the Comets, helping to keep the V-Hawks at bay. She had a 6-point surge in the initial moments of the quarter to lift the lead to ten, 46-36. Both teams kept battling back and forth as the quarter ended, with the Comets still holding a 9-point lead, 51-42.
A quick 10-0 run by the Comets in the 4th helped seal the deal, as
Joelle Ertl,
Kylee Heurung,
Andi Gayner, and
Katie Berge all contributed and built the lead to 16. The Comets were able to withstand a final surge by the V-Hawks and secured the win, 68 to 59.
Coach Hutter felt his team found a way to win, despite having to deal with a target on their back with the #23 ranking. "Last year, we were in the hunt, and this year, we are the hunted. Even though our performance could have been better throughout the game, we still dug deep and found a way to win," he explained. "It's important to find ways to win on the nights when you don't perform as well as you could."
Leading all scorers was Viterbo's Alyssa Nilssen with 19. Leading the Comets was
Andi Gayner with 16, followed by
Joelle Ertl with twelve. Karliegh Weber and
Cyan Hale each had nine. Gayner almost had a double-double performance with a team leading nine rebounds. Viterbo won the battle of the boards with 42 rebounds to the Comets' 31. Steals and turnovers were a big factor in the game, as the Comets forced 22 turnovers and had twelve steals, as a team. It was a balanced effort with Gayner, Weber, Ertl and
Claire Blascziek with two steals each. Gayner also had a solid night with blocks, totaling six. The Comets shot 45.5% from the floor (21-55), while not being quite as hot from the 3-point line, going 5 for 24. The V-Hawks shot 38%.
Next up for the #23 Comets (12-4, 4-2 NSAA) will be Waldorf University tomorrrow at 3:00 pm in the Lewy Lee.
