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TOPEKA, Kan. -- The ninth-ranked Lady Blues held off the Drury Lady Panthers 58-46 on Tuesday night at Lee Arena to move to 2-0 on the season. Washburn is back in action this weekend at the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Classic in Phoenix, Ariz.
Washburn (2-0) raced out to an 8-0 lead right out of the gates with
Cassie Lombardino notching the first five points of the game for WU. Washburn led 12-4 before the Lady Panthers (1-3) went on a 12-3 run to grab a one-point lead with 8:32 to play in the half. Drury pushed its lead to as many as six at 24-18 at the 5:46 mark of the opening period. Three-pointers by
Dana Channel and
Stevi Schultz tied the game and ignited a 15-2 run that pushed Washburn in front 33-26 at the break.
The Lady Blues opened the second half on a 16-4 that pushed the lead to 19 with 11:28 to play in regulation. The Lady Panthers used a 13-4 run to close to within 10 at 53-43, but could get no closer. Washburn used a quick 5-0 spurt to push the lead back to 15 and closed out the game 58-46.
Schultz led Washburn with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Laura Kinderknecht chipped in 11 points, while Lombardino had 10 points and six boards. The Lady Blues shot 32 percent from the floor, 18-of-56, including 12-of-34 for 35 percent from beyond the arc. Washburn out-rebounded the Lady Panthers 48-27 and had a 15-8 advantage in assists.
Ja'Nell Jones led all scorers with 27 points for Drury. She was 10-of-20 from the field and made 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Jones also added eight rebounds to lead the Lady Panthers, who were 18-of-52 from the field for 35 percent. DU was 0-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
The win extended Washburn's non-conference home court winning streak to 47 games dating back to December 30, 2000.
Washburn will open play in the GCU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. CST against Cal State-Dominguez Hills. The Lady Blues will wrap up play on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST against Lake Superior State.
