On Nov. 2 Kirkwood Community College’s women’s basketball team opened their season with a large 122-15 win against Wilbur Wright College.
Yes, 122-15.
50% shooting from the field. 32 offensive rebounds. 33 assists against eight turnovers. 28 steals. 43 forced turnovers. 12.9% shooting allowed. .
Those things will earn you a 107 point win. According to the official Kirkwood athletics Instagram, this is the second highest winning margin in program history.
This also marks head coach Nate Oakland’s first win at the helm of the Eagles.
“Winning is fun,” said Oakland. “A couple coaching peers and myself talk about how we can’t take for granted being able to win. College basketball is tough.”
The 28 steals tonight and 43 forced turnovers dictated the game from the beginning. Kirkwood compiled nine steals in the first ten minutes. This resulted in the Eagles taking over three times as many shots as the Lady Rams (96 as opposed to 31).
Leading Kirkwood in steals was sophomore forward Erianna Moeschter, totaling five. While six different Eagles had at least three steals.
Kirkwood was also scoring the ball at a high rate. Freshman guard Da’Jha Johnson and sophomore forward Madison Stowater led Kirkwood in points. Johnson scored 17 points, while Stowater added 16.
Johnson was recruited and committed to the Eagles when recently retired head coach Kim Muhl was still active. She decided to stay when Oakland was hired.
“They welcomed me with a warm hug,” Johnson said when reflecting on the coaching staff. “My team had just helped me and built me up to do more. It feels good.”
The ball movement was also excellent for the Eagles in this extravagant win. 33 assists to 8 turnovers is a strong rate. Freshman guard Taccarrii Hicks led Kirkwood with seven assists.
Three-point shooting was also strong. The ball movement helped create many opportunities. “I feel like Oakland has really instilled a lot of confidence in us,” said Stowater, “especially as shooters. Just let it fly.”
She went 3-7 from the three point line today.
Freshman guards Adalynn Voss and Alaya Carter started their college careers off with double figures, scoring 13 and 12 apiece. While sophomore forwards Whitney Sullivan and Moeschter also were in double digits. Making six different Eagles to accomplish that feat.
“I’m just really proud of our consistent effort, and for our challenges to not be seduced by success,” Oakland said. “So I’m anxious to see how we come back to practice.”
The Eagles will travel to Council Bluffs, IA on Friday to take on North Central Missouri College.
Categories: Sports, Women's Basketball
