Mayville, N.D. - The Comets Women's Basketball team hosted the Providence Pilots for the second time at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on Sunday. The Comets used strong three point shooting and an active defense to dominate the matchup and won 98 to 35.

Head coach Dennis Hutter said, "We spent all last night and this morning discussing the 'turn around' from last night to early afternoon today. These turn arounds are good preparation for our NSAA game schedule. So we wanted to see another consistent effort today, like we saw last night. I thought that was very good for us today."

The offense clicked right from the first possession, as Erin Walcker connected on a corner three. The Comets scored the first 11 points of the game, with five of those coming from Walcker.

The Pilots played even with Mayville State over the next five minutes and hit a jumper to get within nine points at 15-24. The Comets reeled off the final nine points of the quarter to lead 33-15 after ten minutes. Mackenzie Hughes poured in 15 points during that first quarter, and the Comets shot 58% from the field.

Mayville State continued to add to their lead in the second quarter, as the breakneck pace resulted in more opportunities for both clubs. The Comets drilled three more three-pointers and got to the line nine times in the quarter. Three free throws by C.J. Decker at the end of the half gave the Comets a 54-25 lead.

"Communication in the floor was very solid today. I actually thought our communication in the second half was very good today. Our communication keeps us connected on the floor. So we rely on that daily. So happy to see that today," said Hutter.

The Comets defense clamped down in the third quarter, as Providence only connected on one of their 18 shot attempts in the quarter. Mayville State scored the first 22 points of the quarter to boost their advantage to 51 points.

Jes Mertens and Kayla Rocholl combined for 14 points to pace the offense. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Comets led 80-30.

The fourth quarter allowed the Comets to play their entire roster. Once again, the defense effort did not wane, as the Pilots only made two field goals in the final stanza.

Taylor Dean tallied a quick five points in the opening minute while Sydney Brekken also scored five points in the fourth. The buzzer sounded with the Comets winning 98-35.

Mayville State shut down the Pilot offense, allowing Providence to shoot only 16% from the field for the game. The Comets also out rebounded the Pilots 64-39.

12 Comets scored in the game, with Hughes leading the way with 20. Mertens followed with 13 points, Jordan Zrust added 12 and Erin Walcker finished with 10. Annika Reierson collected 10 rebounds on the night and Zrust dished out five assists and racked up three steals.

Hutter added, "We need to keep getting 1% better everyday in preparation for  Jamestown. We have to continue to focus on our identity and the team that we wanna be on and off the floor."

The win boosts the Comets record to 2-0. Mayville State hits the road on November 2^nd to face the Jamestown Jimmies, tip off is 6:00pm.

For full schedule results visit: https://msucomets.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule