Fast start helps Warriors to first win of season

MCPHERSON, Kan. - A big early run helped propel the Waldorf women's basketball team to its first win of the season Sunday, 71-61, on the road at McPherson.

Down 6-4, Waldorf went on a 12-0 run to take command early. The spurt started with a Brooke Dial 3. Edosa Ogbemudia followed with a jumper. Cloey Dmytruk's steal and layin extended the run. Myia Ruzek's 3 and another Ogbemudia basket gave Waldorf a 16-6 lead. Dial added two more 3-point baskets as Waldorf led 24-14 after the first quarter. McPherson went on a run to start the second quarter. They scored nine straight to pull within 1. The game would be tied at 25 before another mini Waldorf run. An Ogbemudia tip-in ended a 7-0 Warrior spurt that gave them a 32-25 lead. They would take a 34-28 lead into the halftime locker room.

Just like in the second quarter, McPherson started the third quarter with another run. They scored the half's first seven points to take a 35-34 lead. Down 3, Ruzek's big 3 tied the game at 38. Waldorf would score the game's next six points to take advantage. Waldorf would lead by 10 following a Dial layup. They would take a 51-45 lead into the fourth quarter. Once again, McPherson would fight back and took a 56-55 lead with 5:51 remaining. It was all Waldorf down the stretch. They outscored McPherson 16-5 in the final five minutes to gain the 10-point road win.

Dial led all scorers with 24 points. Ruzek had a near double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds. Alyah Abrahamson scored 12 points off the bench. She tied a school record with seven steals.

"Definitely was very pleased with our effort today," said head coach Shawn Chaffin. "It was good to see us shoot the ball better. Our defense has been good so far this year, but it was good to see the offense come around. I'm really excited for our girls with the reward of all that hard word paying off. This is something for us to build on and keep getting better every day."

Waldorf (1-2) plays an exhibition game Tuesday at NCAA Division II Sioux Falls. They begin GPAC play Saturday at Hastings.