APPLETON, Wis. — The St. Norbert College women’s basketball team broke open a close game with a big second quarter Wednesday and posted a 70-37 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Alexander Gymnasium.
The Green Knights (12-4, 9-2 MWC) outscored the Vikings 26-8 in the second quarter en route to building a 43-19 lead at the half.
Sarah Ratajczyk scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead St. Norbert. Regan Carmichael added 10 points for the Green Knights.
Natalie Kramer scored 13 points to pace Lawrence (2-14, 0-11), and Aubrey Scott and Olivia Hoesley added six points and five rebounds apiece. The Vikings were without leading scorer Leah Reeves due to injury.
The Vikings hung in against the Green Knights in the opening quarter, and Shonell Benjamin’s jumper cut St. Norbert’s lead to 15-11 with 57 ticks left in the first. The Green Knights got a layup from Sarah Neumann to push the lead to 17-11 after one.
The Green Knights opened the second quarter on an 18-2 run, capped by Carmichael’s 3-pointer, to lead 35-13 with 3:23 left in the second. Kramer countered with a pair of 3-pointers for Lawrence to close to 37-19, but St. Norbert scored the final six points of the quarter.
Lawrence opened the second half by scoring the first four points to cut the margin to 43-23, but St. Norbert steadily pulled away after that. The Green Knights led 56-27 after three quarters and led by as many as 39 in the final quarter.