Hot Starts Sparks Women's Basketball to Road Win

FREMONT, Neb. — Doane women's basketball sprinted out of the gate and never looked back Wednesday night, cruising to a 77-39 road win over Midland at the Wikert Event Center.

The Tigers (7-9, 5-7) set the tone immediately, pouring in 32 points in the opening quarter while holding Midland to seven. Doane's defensive pressure fueled the start — the Tigers finished with 10 steals, forced 19 turnovers, and turned those mistakes into 27 points off turnovers.

Doane led 48-22 at halftime and continued to stretch the margin coming out of the break, taking a 68-33 advantage into the fourth. The Tigers' largest lead reached 42 in the final period.

Mattea Kassebaum led Doane with 24 points, knocking down five 3-pointers as the Tigers finished 10-of-25 (40.0%) from beyond the arc. Rylie Rice added 20 points and three triples, while Megan Chambers posted a strong all-around night with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

Doane controlled the glass 45-38, including 11 offensive boards, and consistently found quality looks with 17 assists. The Tigers scored 36 points in the paint and used balanced contributions throughout the rotation.

Midland (2-16, 1-11) was held to 12-of-51 (23.5%) shooting and 4-of-22 (18.2%) from three. Jenna Weber finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Ciera Jorge scored 10 for the Warriors.

Doane returns to conference action this weekend as the Tigers look to build on Wednesday's complete performance when they take on No. 1 Dordt in Sioux Center, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.

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