Box Score NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – The recent theme of close-knit outcomes in the Transylvania University – Manchester University series continued Saturday, Jan. 31.
The Spartans, dipping to 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, kept the No. 19-ranked Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III/No. 15-ranked D3Hoops.com Pioneers (18-1 overall, 12-0 HCAC) in their sights throughout 40 minutes inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena. MU moved out to an early 22-11 lead midway through the first half, but TU overcame its slow start, trimming the deficit to two (33-31) at halftime and used a key 10-0 run from the 9:02 to 5:51 marks of the second frame in route to a 70-60 victory.
Junior guard Katie Arterburn (Indianapolis, Ind.), wrapping up a solid 34-point week, dropped in a team-high 21 points for the home team. She proved tough from the field overall (eight-of-10) and beyond the arc (five-of-six). Senior guard Alyssa Smith (Bluffton, Ind.) added 14 points and led the Spartans' steal charts (five), while senior forward Abby Lang (Indianapolis, Ind.) tallied 11 points.
MU, still a strong part of the league's postseason tournament landscape as they stand in a three-way tie for fifth with six games remaining, opens another important league week Wednesday, Feb. 4. Bluffton University of Ohio comes to North Manchester for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
NOTES: Transylvania's margin of victory marked the fourth time in the last five games the two sides have been separated by 12-points-or-less … Arterburn's weekly totals moved her over the double-digit mark in regards to season average. She's at 10.4 points per contest and joins senior center Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) (10.9 ppg) in the area … Smith's steals total marked the 13th time this season she's acquired multiples. Her five matched a personal single-game season high she accumulated at home against Defiance College of Ohio in early December … Junior guard Justine Kruger (Francesville, Ind.) led the squad with four assists. It was her eighth multiple-assist game of the year and equaled a personal single-game season high she originally totaled in a non-conference game against St. Mary's College of Indiana in late December.
