Lady Trailblazers win big in road Region 24 matchup with Olney Central

OLNEY, Ill. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers hit the road Saturday night to face-off against Region 24 opponent Olney Central.

Vincennes got off to a fast start and continued to build their lead as the Lady Blazers came away with the 96-46 win.

After the Lady Blue Knights scored the first two baskets of the game, Vincennes grabbed the lead with a 13-2 scoring run aided by a trio of three-point shots by freshman Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Olney Central would battle back to cut the lead down to two before Vincennes closed out the first quarter on a 7-0 scoring run, capped off by another three-pointer by Newsom, her fourth of the quarter.

The VU offense continued to fire on all cylinders in the second quarter as the Lady Trailblazer lead continued to grow.

Vincennes outscored Olney Central 29-14 in the second quarter as VU headed into the locker room with a 53-29 lead over the Lady Blue Knights.

Vincennes' defense stole the show in the third period as VU held Olney Central to just five points in the 10 minute period.

The Lady Trailblazers used a 22-3 scoring run to take a 41-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Vincennes would keep the lead around the 40-point mark for most of the fourth quarter as the blue and gold emptied their bench and got all their players in on the action.

VU would close out the game on 13-3 scoring run, giving the Lady Blazers a strong 96-46 win over the host Lady Blue Knights and their sixth win in Region 24 play.

Vincennes was led offensively by their trio of guards, beginning with Cherrelle Newsom who finished with 18 points, including 15 coming in the first half, while also dishing out a team-high nine assists on the night.

Sophomore Laila Grant (Derwood, Md.) also ended her night with 18 points, including four makes from behind the arc, six rebounds and four assists.

Freshman Day'Lynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) rounded out the VU scorers in double-figures by scoring 17 points and helping out on the defensive end with a team-high four steals.

Freshman Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) came off the bench to add nine points, seven of which coming in the first half. Willis would also set a new career-high with seven assists on the night along with three steals.

Sophomore Macy Michels (Teutopolis, Ill.) controlled the paint on her way to eight points and eight rebounds. Michels would also come away with a pair of blocks defensively.

Every Lady Trailblazer who dressed Saturday night scored with sophomores Nina Blade (Milwaukee, Wis.), Anete Bluma (Saldus, Latvia) and freshman Candela Lascorz (Huesca, Spain) all finishing with six points. Lascorz and Blade also ended the game with seven rebounds each.

Sophomore Elena Aznar (Zaragoza, Spain) entered the starting lineup for Vincennes for just the third time this season and finished with four points.

Freshmen Guadalupe Lopez (Oviedo, Spain) and Cristina Requejo (Gijon, Spain) each scored one basket for two points each on the night.

The Lady Trailblazers will continue this three-game stretch of road games away from the P.E. Complex next week as Vincennes travels to Centralia, Ill. Wednesday, Jan. 26 when VU takes on Kaskaskia College. Tip-off time Wednesday is set for 6 p.m. eastern.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (96): Day'Lynn Thornton 7-15 2-2 17, Cherrelle Newsom 6-10 0-0 18, Elena Aznar 2-5 0-0 4, Macy Michels 4-4 0-0 8, Laila Grant 6-17 2-2 18, Chanice Willis 4-8 1-4 9, Nina Blade 3-9 0-0 6, Candela Lascorz 3-4 0-0 6, Guadalupe Lopez 1-4 0-0 2, Cristina Requejo 1-3 0-0 2, Anete Bluma 3-5 0-0 6, Team 40-84 5-8 96.

VU (13-7, 6-2) – 24  29  22  21 – 96

Olney Central – 15  14  5  12 – 46

Three-point goals: VU 11 (Newsom 6, Grant 4, Thornton). Rebounds: VU 46 (Michels 8). Assists: VU 29 (Newsom 9). Steals: VU 17 (Thornton 4). Blocked Shots: VU 3 (Michels 2). Turnovers: VU 13. Personal Fouls: VU 16. Fouled out: None.