WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball earned a 74-42 road win against the University of St. Joseph (Conn.) Monday afternoon.
USJ opened the matchup with an early 7-4 lead with 6:09 remaining in the first frame. Josie Bruder hit a three-pointer to knot the game at seven, followed by four points from Rachel Okoye and two from Kayla Johns-McGarity to put the Cru ahead 13-7. Okoye added two more along with two free throws made by Natalia Galvan to round out the first quarter with UMHB leading 17-13.
The Blue Jays added seven in the first five minutes of the second quarter, but Bruder worked alongside USJ adding ten points, while Galvan put up four to allow the Cru to hold the 30-20 lead with 4:36 remaining in the half. Bruder added her third three-pointer of the game, going back-to-back with Galvan who added her own to give UMHB a 17-point margin. Johns-McGarity went on to add six points, extending the lead to 45-23. Galvan sunk another three-pointer to close out the first half, going into halftime with the Cru up 50-23.
Bruder led the Cru offensively with 19 points, going 3-4 from the three-point line. Galvan followed with 13, along with Okoye who was 5-5 from the field tallying 10 points.
The Cru held the Bluejays scoreless through 6:04, adding four points off Okoye layups to keep a 54-23 upper hand. UMHB went on to extend their differential by 36 points, capitalized by Bruder's fourth three-pointer. Mia Lozoya rounded out scoring in the third quarter with a layup, moving the Cru's lead to 65-29.
Johns-McGarity opened the final frame with an early layup. USJ responded with five points, but Bruder responded with a layup and another three in back-to-back possessions to put the Cru up 72-34. The Bluejays pushed, closing the deficit, but UMHB held the high ground for the remainder of the game, securing a 74-42 victory.
Josie Bruder was the leading scorer, putting up 27 points, capitalized by five three-pointers. Rachel Okoye followed with 18 points of her own, going 9-10 in field goals. Natalia Galvan and Kayla Johns-McGarity each broke double-digits, scoring 15 and 10 points respectively. Bruder and Okoye led the team in rebounds, adding six each.
UMHB returns to action in Marshall on Saturday, January 17th in a 1:00pm conference-opener against East Texas Baptist.
