LA JUNTA, Colo. – The Eastern Wyoming College Lady Lancers split their road trip, falling to Lamar Community College on Friday, 73-63, before turning things around and beating Otero Junior College on Saturday, 60-51.
The win came in La Junta against the Lady Rattlers, despite trailing 18-13 after the first quarter of action. EWC limited Otero’s offense in the second quarter, allowing the home team to score only five points, while putting up 14 of its own, giving the Lady Lancers a 27-23 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, EWC again scored 14 points, while allowing Otero to pour in 13 to take a five-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of action. The Lady Lancers closed the door on the Lady Rattlers by outscoring Otero 19-15 in the fourth.
Pamela Bethel was a force in the game, racking up 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point land. She also paced the team with nine rebounds, along with an assist and two steals.
Lauren O’Connell and Abril Rexach Roure joined Bethel in double-figures. O’Connell turned in 13 points, including six from behind the arc, which she paired with four boards, a steal and a tie for the team-high in assists, with four. Rexach accounted for 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Rounding out the starters, Ines Salat Margarit tallied seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals and Macie Mackey kicked in three points, four boards, four assists and a steal.
Coming off the bench, Cathlyn Knutson and Nicole Cutler combined for five points and a rebound, while Emily Buchanan and Kelliann Raff had two rebounds apiece.
Lamar 73, EWC 63
The Lady Lancers got off to a slow start Friday against the Lady Lopes, falling behind 19-8 in the first quarter. Twenty-two points helped EWC trim the lead to 33-30 at halftime. Another big quarter by Lamar where it outscored EWC 23-12 put the Lady Lancers at a 56-42 disadvantage. The Lady Lancers attempted a rally in the fourth, outscoring the Lady Lopes 21-17, but it was not enough.
Bethel was stellar on the boards, coming away with 19 rebounds, including nine on offense. She finished the night with a double-double, filling her stat sheet with 23 points, an assist, a steal and two blocks.
Rexach joined Bethel in double-digits with 12 points, four boards and a team-high six assists. Mackey turned in six points, six boards, two assists and a block, while Margarit and O’Connell combined for six points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Knutson came off the bench to kick in six points and four rebounds, while Raff added four points. Ijeoma Ezikeolisa, Buchanan and Cutler combined for six points and three rebounds off the bench in the loss.
After splitting their games over the weekend, the Lady Lancers sit at 9-8 on the year with a 1-3 record against conference opponents. EWC returns home for games Friday against McCook Community College at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday against North Platte Community College at 2 p.m.
