Lady Bucs Open Battle for the Boot with Win Over Cochise

Twin Falls, Idaho- The Shelton State women's basketball team opened the Battle for the Boot Classic in an emphatic fashion, downing Cochise College 90-49.

The Lady Bucs were led by freshman Ella Wheeler (Sulligent) as she posted her first career double-double with 16 points (6-9 FG) and 12 rebounds. Nadia Norfleet (Tupelo, MS) added 16 points on 6-10 shooting and Haley Trotter (Chelsea) and Alana Obianozie (Madison) both pitched in 15. The Lady Buc starters accounted for 70 of the 90 points scored.

After a slow start, Shelton State was able to find its footing as they scored 31 points in the opening frame on 52% (10-19) shooting, 44% (4-9) from three, and 70% (7-10) from the charity stripe. Plagued by foul trouble, Cochise struggled to score, posting just 24 points total in the first half. The Lady Bucs were able to extend their lead to 32 entering halftime.

The Lady Bucs were only able to increase the lead by 9 points over the final 20 minutes of play, much of that can be attributed to a 2-18 mark from beyond the arc. Cochise was able to outscore the Lady Bucs in the final quarter after shooting 10 free throws, their only shots from the line in the whole game.

"We were able to hit some shots early on that carried us through late," said head coach Madonna Thompson. "Having five kids on the floor that can shoot the basketball creates a difficult situation for defenses and we were able to take advantage of that." "This classic has some great teams in it and we will have to build on today to stay competitive over the next two days."

The Lady Bucs return to action tomorrow for day two of the Battle of the Boot classic against Monroe University (NY) at 6:00 PM (CT).