Colorado College utilized a suffocating defensive effort during the final 30 minutes to record a 77-56 victory over Schreiner University on Sunday afternoon at Reid Arena.
After falling behind 23-10 with 1:56 remaining in the first quarter, CC dialed up its defensive intensity and outscored the Mountaineers 67-33 during the final 31 minutes.
The Tigers improved to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
McKenzee Gertz lead Colorado College with 13 points despite playing just seven minutes in the first half after picking up a pair of first-quarter fouls. The sophomore winger also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to complete her fourth double-double of the season.
Gertz went 3-for-6 from behind the arc and became the fifth Tiger to make 100 or more career three-pointers. She now ranks fourth with 101 and needs only four more to climb into sole possession of third place on the program's career list.
Senior guard
Casey Torbet scored 11 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out 11 assists.
Sophomore guard
Jade Odom finished with 11 points and five assists for CC.
Colorado College tied the game at 28-28 with 2:41 to play in the second quarter on a layup by junior forward
Julia Moore, but Schreiner answered with five points before senior guard
Payton Katich hit a jumper at the buzzer to pull the Tigers to within 33-30 at the half.
CC took its first lead when Torbet sank a pair of free throws 30 seconds into the third quarter, and then a three-pointer by Katich ignited a 9-0 run that gave the Tigers a double-digit cushion at 48-37.
The Mountaineers were within seven points after Kendall Dyal made a pair of free throws with 1:20 to play in the third quarter, however Colorado College scored the next six points to open a 13-point lead after 30 minutes.
CC put the game away with a 13-2 run during the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, building its largest lead of the contest at 69-45 after junior guard
Nia Duplain scored two of her nine points on a layup with 6:10 to play.
Dyal finished with 15 points for Schreiner, which dropped to 1-11 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
The Mountaineers also got 10 points from Alyssa Viera.
Gabby Ivarra scored seven points and led Schreiner with nine rebounds.
The Tigers continue their five-game home stand on Friday, Jan. 4, when they play host to Centenary College at 5:30 p.m.
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