(ST. LOUIS, MO) The St. Louis Surge’s 103-68 victory over the Missouri Arch Angels at UMSL’s Mark Twain Building Saturday night hit three significant benchmarks for the defending champions of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL).
Photo Credit: St. Louis Surge
First off, the 35-point duke netted the Surge (6-1) its fifth straight win this season. Next, the result pushed its undefeated streak at UMSL to 11 games, dating back to the team’s 2014 home opener.
Most importantly, Saturday’s win assured the Surge the top seed for the upcoming WBCBL Mid-West Division tournament held later this summer.
In a contest that saw St. Louis score early, and often, in the paint, the Surge utilized a 10-0 rally in the opening minutes of the second half to seize a dominant lead.
The Surge led 8-2 at the 8:35 mark after Leah Cotton’s two-foot bank shot. The Arch Angels whittled the lead to 10-6 as the period progressed, but six straight points from St. Louis, punctuated by Rebecca Harris’ three-pointer at the 4:52 mark, pushed the lead to double digits, 16-6.
The opponents charged hard in the quarter’s final four, manufactured a 9-4 run, and narrowed the Surge’s advantage to 20-17 at the end of the first.
Surge forward Cassie Rochel notched back-to-back buckets to launch the second quarter as St. Louis extended the scoreboard, 24-17, at the 8:50 mark. The stretch blossomed to six as Raven Berry collected a put back with 8:00 left to make the score 26-17.
Errant fouls plagued the Surge as the quarter progressed and the Arch Angels chipped away at the deficit. Following Missouri guard Nikki Lawrence’s pair of successful free throws with 3:50 left in the half, the visitors were only trailing by six, 35-29.
The Surge responded with seven points on the next three possessions, all collected by Harris. A three-foot bank shot, a 10-foot jumper and a three-point stunner widened St. Louis’ lead to 42-29 with 2:15 left in the frame.
The Surge maintained a 47-35 advantage at intermission and an explosive 10-0 sprint out of the gates in the third quarter set the tone for Saturday’s inevitable victory.
Following Harris’ early bucket, the Surge’s defense forced a pair of turnovers, resulting in back-to-back lay-ups for Brittany Carter, which gave St. Louis a 53-35 lead at the 9:05 mark.
Berry’s ensuing rebound and put back on the next possession extended the differential to 20 points and Rochel’s eight-foot jumper with 7:35 left in the quarter finished the rally, which gave the locals a 57-35 advantage.
The Surge outscored the Arch Angels, 28-14, in the third quarter, finishing with Sam Price’s lay-in buzzer beater that made the score 75-49.
St. Louis secured victory with a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Price’s rally-capping three-pointer with 7:40 left extended the score to 84-49.
The Surge broke triple digits with Devonna Smith’s lay-up with 1:15 left, which made the game 101-64.
St. Louis outscored the Arch Angels, 28-19, in the final stanza en route to the 103-68 win and its fifth straight victory.
Five Surge players netted double digits on the evening, paced by Harris’ 22 points and Rochel’s 16.
The Surge returns to action at UMSL against the Arkansas Hustle on Saturday, July 11. Tickets for that game are available AT THIS LINK.
For more information on the St. Louis Surge, go to stlsurgebasketball.com.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
ST. LOUIS SURGE (103): Rebecca Harris 22, Cassie Rochel 16, Raven Berry 13, Brittany Carter 13, Leah Cotton 12, Sam Price 9, Brianna Puni 8, Bianca Beck 4, Gabrielle Green 3, Devonna Smith 2, Yelani Rosado 1.
(Story constructed from the online coverage provided by the St. Louis Surge. See the game in its entirety AT THIS LINK).
