ABILENE, Texas - The Angelo State women's basketball team won its third-straight game with a 60-44 road win over McMurry at Kimbrell Arena in Abilene on Friday night.
The Belles (4-5) shot 42.6-percent from the field while limiting McMurry (1-9) to 30.8-percent. ASU outscored the War Hawks 24-16 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 40-37. The Belles scored 19 points off 20 McM turnovers while dishing out 14 team assists.
It is the Belles first three-game win streak since December of last season.
"We were a little stagnant offensively," ASU head coach
Cayla Petree said. "We came in flat and I wasn't pleased with our effort. I didn't like our shot selection and I thought we played one on five basketball tonight. I feel our team had turned a corner and today wasn't representative of that in terms of effort. I think the potential of this team is unlimited but we have to be ready to go every game."
Amanda Weaver led the Belles with a season-high 16 points. All of Weaver's points came in the first half as she was perfect from the field. The junior finished the game 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-5 from the 3-point line and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.
Jasmine Caston scored 12 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds while
Jackie Patterson added 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds.
"She had an incredible stat line in the first half," Petree said of Weaver. "She shot 100-percent from the field and had a nice left handed layup with zero turnovers. That goes to show the amount of time she has put in the gym. I was extremely proud of her defense tonight as well. She has improved so much in the last year and a half."
McMurry scored the first points of the game for a 2-0 but the Belles answered with Weaver's first 3-pointer of the night. ASU would get four points from
Jackie Patterson and Caston to spark an 11-0 run for a 14-2 lead at the 14:50 mark of the first half.
The War Hawks would score five unanswered points to cut the lead to 14-7 but a
KeAnna Kelly hit a jumper to stop the run to spark a Belle run. Weaver hit back-to-back 3-pointers moments later with a jumper by
Jackie Patterson to extend the Belles lead to 22-7.
McMurry would battle back over the final 8:39 of the half. The Belles would be outscored 15-8 as the WarHawks made the score 32-22 at the break.
The Belles hit 48.1-percent from the floor while holding McMurry to just 28-percent. ASU was able to outrebound the War Hawks in the first half 19-16 and caused 11 turnovers.
Weaver surpassed her season high in points in the first half with 16. The junior was perfect in the first half making five of five from the floor, four of four from the 3-point line and two of two from the charity stripe.
Caston and Rivera started the half off with jumpers that started a 10-3 Belle run to make it 44-27 with 13:41 to go in the half. The War Hawks would score five-straight points to bring the game to 47-32 but put the game away over the next 3:41. Caston would score five points and
Jackie Patterson made two buckets during a 10-4 to give ASU its biggest lead of 58-40.
Ashley Hesseltine led McMurry with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. No other War Hawk would score in double figures as Haley Welch scored eight points with Taylor Russell and Tayler Boroson adding seven points each.
The Belles will return to the Junell Center to face Arlington Baptist on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.
