Box Score

Jefferson City, Mo. - The Bearcats had four players in double figures as they dominated the second half of action in a 79-59 victory at Lincoln on Wednesday night. Tanis Spani gave SBU a new career high in points, while LaKendra Smith added her fourth double-double on the season in the victory.

The game remained tight for most of the first half, with Lincoln taking a nine point with 5:32 left to play in the first half before SBU would make a run to cut the lead to 1, trailing 39-38 at halftime. The Bearcats came out strong in the second half, and was able to push the lead to double-digits halftway through the second half. The Bearcats would go on to a 79-59 victory, finishing their most complete game on both sides of the court of all season.

Jacqui Zelenka led the Bearcat attack with 19 points off of 7 of 14 shooting from the field. Zelenka also had five rebounds, four assists, and was a perfect five of five from the free throw line. Tanis Spani gave SBU a new career high of 18 points off of 7 of 10 shooting from the field. LaKendra Smith posted her fourth double-double on the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Brittney Dukes gave SBU a solid 15 points while grabbing 5 rebounds.

As a team, SBU shot 51.7% from the field, 31.3% from beyond the arc, and 77.8% from the free throw line. The Bearcats out-rebounded the Blue Tigers 37-36, forced 17 turnovers, and collected 10 steals in the victory.

"I'm really proud of our team," head coach Todd Voss stated after the victory. "We had great effort in the second half, and some outstanding performances. I thought Tanis [Spani] had a career night in terms of what she did for us offensively, defensively, and in her leadership. Kayla Hruby gave us some great minutes and showed a lot of toughness. LaKendra Smith just continues to be so consistent for us, and gave a great effort on both ends of the court. Dukes gave us a really efficient game as well. I also really like Jacqui [Zelenka]'s determination tonight. It was a great team effort, and a hard fought battle.”

The Bearcats will return home on Saturday, January 28 when they host the Lions of Missouri Southern. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar, Missouri.