COLBY, Kan. – The Western Nebraska Community College found the offense Saturday against Tabor College junior varsity as the 25th ranked Cougars scored at least 20 points in each 10-minute quarter to post an 86-63 win.
The Cougars, 3-0, put five players in double figures in the win. Zeynep Canbaz led the team with 15 points followed by Myram Garcia with 14. Garcia also pulled down seven boards in the win.
WNCC also got a solid performance from Hannah Sparks, who finished with 11 points. Luize Skrastina and Sladjana Rakovic each had 10 points. Skrastina also pulled down nine boards in the win.
The Cougars had a tight contest early on as Tabor held a 23-21 lead after the first period. It was the second and third periods that saw the WNCC defense step up. WNCC outscored Tabor 20-11 in the second to take a 41-34 halftime lead.
The third period saw WNCC's defense step up even more, outscoring Tabor 24-9 to grab a 65-43 lead heading into the fourth. The final 10 minutes saw WNCC outscore Tabor 21-20 for the 23-point win.
The defense was huge Saturday as the Cougars had 13 steals and 41 rebounds. Canbaz and Skrastina each had four steals, while Hannah Sparks had three.
WNCC also shot the ball better Saturday, connecting on 49 percent of their shots. The Cougars were also 3 of 9 for 33 percent from beyond the arc. WNCC's treys came from the hands of Canbaz, Rylee Ward, and Mikayla Gonzales.
Free throw shooting was also better against Tabor, making 13 of 16 for 81 percent.
WNCC will be back in action Thursday and Friday when they travel to take part in the Air Force Prep Classic where they will face Sheridan College and Salt Lake Community College.
Tabor JV 23 11 9 20 – 63
WNCC (3-0) 21 20 24 21 – 86
WNCC
Sladjana Rakovic 10, Hannah Sparks 11, Luize Skrastina 10, Zeynep Canbaz 15, Ozge Yarga 6, Kylie Hager 2, Oleida DeLeon 6, Bree Paulson 2, Rylee Ward 5, Mikayla Gonzales 3, Myram Garcia 14.