Vanguard women’s basketball was back in The Pit Wednesday night to play their final game of the calendar year. With plenty of games upcoming in 2022, the Lions ended 2021 with a smashing 88-11 victory over the Flames of Bethesda. The win pushes VU to 7-3 overall, while the Flames drop to 0-20.
What happened? The Blue and Gold never trailed in the contest and held BU to zero points in the first 10 minutes of play. Airiana Madanski (SO/Gilbert, AZ) would produce the first eight points for VU, most coming from the four steals that the defense generated over the first three minutes of action. Gabriela Rosas (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) got four points over the first five minutes and Melissa Akullu (SO/Kampala, Uganda) got her night going with a layup and a free throw as the quarter moved along. Akullu added in four more points before the quarter ended and Hannah Monty (JR/Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) put the Lions ahead 23-0 with a jumper with under a minute to go. Vanguard took that lead into the second period, with the team shooting 55.6% from the floor in the first.
The Flames landed their first bucket almost 90 seconds into the second frame but other than that, it was more of the same, as the Lions made solid defense translate into quality offense. Vanguard entered halftime ahead 50-2, with Akullu leading the way with 17 points.
The Lions produced 22 points in the third quarter, with Madanski dropping in 11 points to pace the field. The Flames chipped in five points in the third and four more in the fourth, but Vanguard slid home with the 88-11 victory, as VU tallied 16 in the final frame.
The team shot 47.1% in the game, held the Flames to 13.9%, and had a huge 46-28 lead in the rebounding department (18 O, 28 D). Akullu had another double-double, as she collected 25 points and 20 rebounds. Madanski went 4-for-8 from deep to en route to 23 points on the night, while Rosas was third on the team with 10 points. Faith Boss (FR/Cerritos, CA) nailed three shots from downtown to finish with nine points and Lauren Baumgartner (JR/Meridian, ID) came home with seven.
What’s Next? The squad will return to Arizona to start 2022, as the Lions will swing through OUAZ on January 6 and ACU on January 8.
Adopted from www.vanguardlions.com
