Randolph Center, VT- The Women's Basketball squad is now off to an impressive 4-1 start as they handed the Vermont Tech their second loss of the season, defeating the Knights 89-36 on Tuesday evening. Four Falcons scored in double figures for a well-balanced attack from Coach Ford's team who look to carry this momentum into their matchup with NAIA powerhouse Eastern Oregon this weekend.
The Falcons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, holding the Knights to just five points in the first quarter and holding them to 14% shooting. Senior Vivian Lara (Norwalk, CA) got her team off to a 21-5 lead after ten minutes of play, collecting 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc in the first quarter. Jenny-Lynn Eggers (Sonoma, CA) and Misha O'Neal (Tampa, FL) drove the offense in the second quarter as the two combined for 15 points as the Falcons outscored the Knights 27-12 in the second quarter, taking a 48-17 lead into the break.
Eggers continued her dominance in the paint in the third, notching another 10 points on 4 for 4 shooting, pushing the Falcons lead to 71-25 after three quarters. Fisher closed the door in the fourth quarter, using the hot hand of Piper Mali (Oro Valley, AZ) who scored 10 points in the 4th, including 5 for 5 shooting at the charity stripe. The Falcons defense proved to be the difference overall as they held the Knights to 22% shooting from the floor, and just 7% (2 for 28) from downtown. FC also forced 24 VT turnovers while out-rebounding the home team 47 to 35. The Falcons shooting also played a role as they shot 43% from the field, their best percentage of the season thus far.
Lara finished the day with a game-high 20 point performance while adding seven rebounds, six steals and four assists. O'Neal and Eggers each tallied 17 points a piece in the victory and combined for 15 boards as well. Mali was the fourth Falcon to contribute in double digits, finishing her day with a season-high 12 points. Knights Kiana Royer led her team with eight points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals in the losing effort.
The Falcons have a tough test ahead of them this weekend as they play host to the #8 Eastern Oregon Warriors on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors are currently 3-2 this season. The action is slated for a 1pm start on Saturday at the Winsor School in Boston, MA.