Senior Rachel Bucher scored six of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and pulled down a career-best 15 rebounds to lead host Adrian to a 77-51 non-conference victory over Manchester on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both squads.
Bucher added to her all around day with four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Sophomore Kiara Wernette came off the bench to add 12 points (4-5 FGs), matching junior teammate Taylor Besgrove’s (5-8 FGs) scoring total. The former also dished five assists to pace all student-athletes.
Adrian also got strong play from its frontcourt with senior Sha’Trice Graves (8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) and junior Addison Bergman (8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks).
Madison Stamm led Manchester in scoring with 17 points before fouling out. Hannah Lindsey chipped in 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Tiara Jackson (6 points) led the team with 10 rebounds and she had two blocks. Bridget Nash (7 points) contributed four assists and three steals.
Leading 49-40 after three quarters, Adrian used a 28-11 fourth-quarter run to blow the game wide open. The Bulldogs made 10 of 13 field goals for a sizzling .769 shooting percentage while holding MU to just 27.8 (5-18) in the fourth.
For the game, Adrian shot 50.9 percent (28-55) from the field and held Manchester to 30.2 (19-63). The Bulldogs also dominated the glass, 47 to 21, scoring 19 points on second-chance points and outscored the Spartans 42-14 in the paint.
Manchester stayed in the contest for 30 minutes by taking advantage of 20 AC turnovers into 21 points. Adrian also used its bench to a big advantage, outscoring Manchester 33-8. The Bulldogs darted out to a 12-1 lead with 4 minutes and 54 seconds left before ending the first quarter up 18-12.
Stamm drained a trey with 7:43 remaining in the second and Nash later made a layup at 6:43 to give MU its final lead of the afternoon, 24-23. Adrian led 38-30 going into halftime. Adrian never trailed in the second half.
The Bulldogs are now 14-15 in season openers during the Kathy Morris coaching era, including a three-game winning streak–all against Manchester.
Adrian moves to 4-1 lifetime over the Spartans, including a 2-1 record at home. Morris officially picked up her 301st victory as the program’s all-time winningest coach. Adrian’s 77 points and 26-point win are the most against Manchester at home.
This article is largely a repost of an Adrian College press release. For more sports, news and entertainment, follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like the MWSN page on Facebook.
