Lyndon, VT- The Women's Basketball kicked off the NVU Tip-Off Classic with an impressive win, defeating the NVU-Johnson Badgers 65-33 on Friday evening. Sophomore Misha O'Neal (Tampa, FL) had her best game of her Falcons career, notching 19 points and five steals to help lead her team to their second straight victory. With the win, the Falcons are now 2-1 and will look to make it three straight this afternoon against the tournament host, the NVU-Lyndon Hornets who defeated the Rivier University Raiders in the nightcap on Friday evening.
What was a slow start for the Falcons offense, trailing 7-2 after seven minutes of play, the Falcons closed out the quarter with a 10-2 run and would lead 12-9 after the first ten minutes of play. The Falcons never relinquished the lead from there, outscoring the Badgers 19-8 in the second quarter to take a 31-17 lead into the break. Fisher picked up right where they left off after halftime, scoring another 19 points in the third quarter. The defense finished out the game strong, holding NVU to just five points in the fourth quarter to take the 65-33 victory.
The Falcons held the Badgers to just 25% shooting from the floor, and forced 34 turnovers turning into 29 points for the Falcons. The offense shot well after the quiet start, shooting 40% from the floor and 31% from beyond the arc. Along with O'Neal's strong performance, seniors Vivian Lara (Norwalk, CA) and Jenny-Lynn Eggers (Sonoma, CA) both turned in double-digit performances with 10 points a piece. Angel Bernardi (Cloverdale, CA) and Lauren Allen (Long Beach, CA) also played well for their squad, combining for 11 points and nine assists in the victory. Kiana Johnson led the way for the Badgers with 12 points and four steals while Ellery Kiefer chipped in with nine boards.
The Falcons are back at it this afternoon when they face-off against NVU-Lyndon at 3pm. Follow the action live here.