Angwin, CA- Menlo Women's Basketball was back on the road for their second game this week with a trip up to Pacific Union College. The Oaks made sure the long drive was well worth it as they were locked in from tip. Both the offense and defense were firing on all cylinders and the 86-37 dominant victory gives the team their first winning streak of the season!

Offensive Efficiency All Night Long

After a slow start from the field over their first two games the Oaks are now shooting 55% from the floor across their last two games. Everyone got involved in scoring the ball today with four Oaks in double figures and 11 players scoring at least one bucket. 

Tia Morgan would lead the way with a game high 16 points on 50% shooting from the floor. She also stuffed the statsheet with four assists and four rebounds. Morgan's versatility allows her to play all over the court as an inside, outside threat. Having her back this year to man one of the forward positions has paid dividends as she is averaging double figures in scoring. 

Freshman Erin Sellers also had a breakout of sorts coming into the game as a member of the second unit. Sellers saw 17 minutes of action and chipped in 15 points, three rebounds and knocked down three shots from behind the arc. The boxscore doesn't illustrate the swagger in which the freshman played with. In her first substantial college minutes she displayed a high level of confidence that led to a tough "And-1" finish as well as some deep threes.

Menlo's bigs also made their presence felt all game long as the Pioneers had no answer inside the paint. Kiara Brown and Jordyn Rosette combined for 25 points and nine rebounds. Neither played over 25 minutes which only further highlights their impact. Jasmyne Huggins and Frida Schmidt were also impactful at the center and power forward positions all game long. Each grabbed four rebounds while also scoring nine points combined in limited action.

Menlo Does All the Small Things

While the offensive output was outstanding, the Oaks ability to win the less glamorous battles were key in their victory. Right away the rebounding discrepancy was notable in the Oaks favor. For the game Menlo grabbed 39 rebounds to the Pioneers 22. The team's 11 offensive boards allowed both second chance opportunities and the ability to control the clock all game long. 

Menlo was also dominant in winning the turnover battle. The Oaks defense forced 17 turnovers while only giving up eight. The ball security was critical in ensuring the team got high quality shots and the 24 assists to eight turnovers reinforces the notion that Menlo had it going all game long. Aliya Hunter would lead the Oaks as a playmaker with five assists for the game.

Lastly, one of the most underrated aspects of any win is a team's ability to step to the free throw line and knockdown shots. Thankfully, that's exactly what the Oaks did. For the game Menlo shot 86% from the free throw line. Huggins, Rosette and Morgan were all two for two from the line.

Up Next…

The Oaks now have the momentum of two convincing wins behind them. At 3-1 on the year the team has begun to find some rhythm on offense while multiple players have begun to contribute all across the board. Coach Spataro's squad will have some time off to prepare for their next matchup on November 17th against Oregon Tech inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion!