Cowgirls Win Fifth Straight
By: Eric Boynton
Updated: January 26, 2013
ABILENE - Hardin-Simmons' women's basketball team won its fifth straight game as it beat
Texas Lutheran 60-51 in American Southwest Conference action at the Mabee
Complex in Abilene.
Sophomore Rachel Holik
gave the Cowgirls a quick 5-0 lead in the first half on a lay-up and a 3-pointer
to start the game and TLU stayed with the Cowgirls and actually led 16-15 with
10:14 to play. The Cowgirls then used a 10-2 run over the next 4:29 to take a
25-17 lead. In the run Alexis Popelar had six points and freshman Sara Vargas
had four points.
The Cowgirls pushed
the lead out to 10 at 31-21 on a Popelar 3-pointer with :29 to play in the half
for the biggest lead of the first half. TLU scored the final basket of the half
to give HSU a 31-23 lead at halftime.
TLU cut the HSU lead
to 37-34 with 12:33 to play in the game, but HSU then exploded on a 13-2 run
fueled by three 3-pointers. Joanna Daniel bookended the run with 3-pointers and
HSU led 50-36 with 6:43 to play.
Another Daniel
3-pointer, her fifth of the game, gave HSU its biggest lead of the day at 55-38.
The Bulldogs hit three 3-pointers in the final minute of the game to setup the
final score of 60-51.
Daniel led the
Cowgirls with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Popelar added 11 points
and 10 rebounds and Holik had 13 points. Vargas had her best game as a Cowgirl
with 10 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.
Italy Taylor led a
balanced TLU attack with 10 points.
HSU improved to 11-8
overall and 9-4 in ASC action. Texas Lutheran fell to 6-14 and 4-10 in league
play. The Cowgirls will close out its home slate next week against Mary
Hardin-Baylor and Concordia.
