LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State Women’s basketball program began its regular season Tuesday evening with a come-from-behind victory over the NCAA Division III Whitman College Blues. Trailing 43-41 at the half, the Warriors prevailed 81-77 in a tight battle throughout. Neither team led by more than five and there were 12 lead changes.
Sara Muehlhausen had a career night with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Maddie Holm notched a double-double with 10 points and rebounds.
“For the first game of the season, I thought both teams played very well,” Head Coach Brian Orr said. “Offensively, I thought we executed well all night. We had several breakdowns defensively but, overall, I thought we played hard. The other thing that stood out was our poise down the stretch. We made some big plays at the right time.”
Muehlhausen scored the first points of the game with a layup on an assist from Callie Stevens, and five straight points by Stevens gave LC a slim 9-7 lead. A run of six on buckets by Hannah Broyles and Muehlhausen made it 18-17 in favor of the Warriors, and a triple by Stevens kept LC within one (24-23) after the first 10 minutes.
The Warriors worked to keep the score tied in the second frame before a jumper by Broyles gave LC its only lead of the quarter (40-38) with 1:41 on the clock. A five-point rally by Whitman sent the Blues into the locker room leading 43-40.
Rachel Schroeder and Muehlhausen went back-to-back to start the second half and put LC in front 44-43. A three-point play by Heidi Sellmann made it a two-point lead at 7:40, but the back-and-forth continued with the Blues ahead 62-61 heading into the final frame.
A pair of free throws by Holm and a layup by Madeline Weaver added up to a five-point run to give the Warriors a 65-64 advantage with 8:06 to play. The Warriors went on their longest scoring run of the night with six straight on baskets by Sellmann, Stevens and Muehlhausen to take their largest lead of the night (78-73) with 2:24 remaining. A steal by Broyles with a minute to play kept the momentum with the Warriors, and a free throw by Sellmann capped the scoring with the Warriors in front 81-77.
The teams shot almost identical from the field, with LC draining 49.3% of its shots and the Blues hitting 49.2%. Holm was tough on the glass as she pulled in 10 rebounds and Muehlhausen grabbed a career high eight boards. Five Warriors scored in double figures, led by Muehlhausen with 16 and Broyles’ 14. Holm also had 10 points for a double-double. LC State tallied 20 total assists, with Muehlhausen and Stevens each dealing five. Muehlhausen rounded out her all-around game with a team-high two blocks.
LC heads to Moscow on Nov. 9 for an exhibition against NCAA DI Idaho. The contest is slated for 6 p.m.
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