By: Vinnie Birk - Blackburn College Sports Information
The Blackburn College women's baskteball team defeated the MacMurray College Highlanders by a tight score of 69-65 on Thursday night in Carlinville. The win was a complete team effort as eight of the nine women scored at least a point, with four of them recording double-digit figures.
Sophomore Briana Rae led the way for the Beavers by throwing in 19 points and grabbing 12 boards. This marks Rae's third double-double of the season. She also picked up three steals on the evening.
Junior Shelby Smith again had a solid performance with 16 points. Right behind her were Rashonda Willis with 11 and Danique Smith with 10. Willis and Danae Smith tied Rae for the team lead with three steals. Kylie Sparks was dishing the ball all around the court by handing out five assists in the victory.
The Beavers got off to a quick start by overwhelming the Highlanders by a score of 22-6. The 15-point lead would be the highest of the game as MacMurray kept inching back to tie it up at 58 with five minutes to play. That's as close as MacMurray would get though, as they never had a lead throughout the entire game. Some clutch late-game free throws from Rashonda Willis sealed the deal and Blackburn escaped with a 69-65 win.
Blackburn shot an above average 68 percent from the line by going 21 of 31. They also shot 44 percent from the field while MacMurray topped out at 32 percent.
MacMurray's Whittney Wade led all point scorers by collecting 20. Kelsey Anderson also added 17 for the Highlanders who drop to 4-7 on the year and 2-3 in SLIAC play.
The Beavers improve to 2-12 on the year and are also 2-3 in conference play. Blackburn will play host to Spalding University this Saturday for an afternoon contest scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.