High-risk Lady Jays outscore Iowa Lakes 81-61
Nov. 23—WORTHINGTON — Minnesota West women's basketball coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka has a tendency to look carefully at turnover totals, and when she feels the Lady Jays have committed too many in a game she winces a little.
On Tuesday at the Center For Health and Wellness, the Jays had 18 turnovers in an 81-61 victory of visiting Iowa Lakes. That's a lot of turnovers for most teams, but in the Jays' case it might simply be the price of doing business.
Minnesota West is an up-tempo team, is always an up-tempo team, and so up-tempo that it sometimes feels that whenever they come up with a rebound, they believe that they're already late for an important date with the basket on the other end of the floor.
With an aggressiveness quotient like that, turnovers are almost bound to happen. No matter what the score was Tuesday night, the Lady Jays looked for opportunities to make high-risk passes — passes they often successfully completed, but sometimes not.
"I'm yelling at 'em all the time to go, go, go, and then I'm yelling at them to slow down and set it up," Hayenga-Hostikka said, grinning. "I think that's just the way we play. I know that as a player I was high-risk, high-reward. I guess we've gotta live with those turnovers."
Minnesota West improved to 6-1 on the season in their final game before Thanksgiving, and the team has much to be thankful for. They are ranked No. 4 in the nation, just as they were in the pre-season. And they did nothing to jeopardize their standing with their performance against the Lakers.
Olivia Hayenga, the coach's niece, scored a team-high 22 points. Tia Murray, who Hayenga-Hostikka singled out for praise for her determination to go to the basket when she received the ball down low, finished with 18 points. Dannyn Peterson, battling foul trouble, had 11 points. Murray pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and had five blocked shots. Brooklyn Scheitel-Taylor led the home team with six assists while scoring nine points of her own.
The Lady Jays' most complete quarter was the first, when they outscored the Lakers 28-10. They also connected on three 3-point shots in the frame — a part of their game that was missing until Tuesday.
Leading 46-29 at the half, the Jays increased their lead early, then gave way to a Laker run led by 5-8 sophomore guard Brielle Bartelt.
But with 6:17 to go in the third quarter, West built up a 20-point lead, 55-35. Again, the Lakers rallied, breaking the Lady Jays' press numerous times for layups. With 3:23 remaining in the quarter, the margin was just 12 points, 57-45.
Bartelt fouled out of the game with 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. Twice in the quarter, Iowa Lakes pulled again to within 12 points, but the Lakers never came closer than that.
Iowa Lakes out-rebounded West 40-36 and committed 31 turnovers. The Jays hit 26 of 39 free throws to the Lakers' seven of 10.
Iowa Lakes 10 2949 61
Lady Jays 28 46 66 81
IOWA LAKES (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) — Bartelt 0-4-2-10, Holton 0-1-1-3, Wolf 0-4-0-8, Swayzer 0-1-0-2, Kanz 0-5-2-12, Oromo 0-5-0-10, Johnson 0-2-0-4, Jones 0-5-2-12. Totals 0-27-7-61.
LADY JAYS (3FG-2FG-FT-TP) — Murray 1-4-7-18, Peterson 0-4-3-11, Scheitel-Taylor 0-4-1-9, Huisman 0-2-3-7, Hayenga 0-8-6-22, Drapeau 2-0-0-6, DeVries 0-1-3-5, Potter 0-0-3-3. Totals 3-23-26-81.
