Olivia Rockwood knocked down six 3-pointers on Saturday afternoon for all 18 of her game-high points, leading the Maine Black Bears to a 60-54 win over Louisiana Tech in women’s basketball action on day two of the Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic at the Knapp Center on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
The game was really back and forth as the contest saw 13 lead changes on the afternoon. After trailing by as many as five in the second quarter, Maine was able to take the lead into halftime on three-pointers by Caroline Bornemann and two by Rockwood for a 30-26 advantage. The Black Bears extended the lead to 40-33 in the third quarter on a layup by Bornemann on a fast break. The Bulldogs (Lady Techsters) battled back within two by the end of the period, and took their final lead 53-52 on a turnaround jumper by Jianna Morris with 3:51 left to play. Sera Hodgson pushed Maine back ahead for good on the next possession with a short jumper 24 seconds later. Rockwood put it away with her sixth 3-pointer and fourth of the second half with 1:24 remaining.
Along with the game-high from Rockwood, Bornemann and Adrianna Smith also scored in double figures for the 4-2 Black Bears in the win with 13 and 11 points respectively. Bornemann had seven rebounds, and Smith had a double double by adding 13 boards. Anne Simon chipped in nine points, eight assists, and four steals. Silvia Nativi had 13 points and Salma Bates had 10 in the loss for 2-3 Louisiana Tech out of Conference USA. Maine plays their final game in Iowa on Sunday afternoon against the hosts from Drake University at 3 p.m.
Recap by Chris Lessner
