December 5, 2024
#1 Eagles Take Down Tritons
Cedar Rapids, IA
Kirkwood 90
Iowa Central 48
Like any good basketball team, when Kirkwood shares the basketball, their offense really goes into high gear; Wednesday's 90-48 victory over Iowa Central was a perfect example of that.
The Eagles (9-0 / 2-0) jumped out right from the start thanks to the inside/outside play of sophomores Lizzy Puot and Jenna Twedt.
The duo would combine for 20 first quarter points to help Kirkwood race out to a 29-7 lead after a quarter of play.
The Eagles' offense was not the only thing clicking, as their defense was on point in the first half as well.
Kirkwood forced Iowa Central into 22 first half turnovers and managed to take a 49-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Eagles ability to make the extra pass continued to fuel their offense in the third quarter as sophomore Jariah Harris completed a three point play on an assist from Twedt that extended their lead to 62-23 with 4:25 remaining in the quarter.
A three pointer by freshman Eva Steffensen on an assist from fellow freshman Kennedy Blakely would give Kirkwood a 72-35 lead after three quarters of play.
A back door cut by Blakely and beautiful assist by sophomore Sam Veto would give the Eagles a 75-37 lead with 7:56 left in the game.
Sharing the ball was the name of the game on the night, as Kirkwood would finish with 22 assists, led by Blakely who finished with a career high eight.
Puot led the Eagles in scoring 19 points, while Twedt added 16.
Bench scoring was key for the Eagles as well. Kirkwood outscored Iowa Central 42-6 in bench points.
Sophomore Ella Prtichard came off the bench to finish with nine points, while Steffensen & sophomore Ellah Kissell added eight points a piece.
Harris led the Eagles in rebounding with seven, while Steffensen grabbed a career high six rebounds.
Kirkwood will hit the road for the next contest, as they travel to Estherville to take on Iowa Lakes at 1:00 pm on Saturday.
Link to Boxscore:
