Instead of finishing finals and heading home for break as most of their classmates did, the Baker University women’s basketball players stuck around to compete in two non-conference games Friday and Saturday.

After losing to former Heart of America Athletic Conference foe William Jewell College in an exhibition game Friday, the ‘Cats were able to bounce back Saturday and defeat Central Christian College of the Bible for the second time this season.

William Jewell, now a NCAA Division II program, defeated the Wildcats 76-56 on its home court in Liberty, Mo.

Of Baker’s starting five, sophomore Rashida Simpson was the only one to score against the Cardinals. Simpson scored the first eight points for the Wildcats and from then on out, the team relied on its bench for points.

Sophomore Avery Vogts stepped up to lead the team with a career high 15 points and went 3-4 from the behind the arc. Freshman Macy Wallisch added 10 points of her own to the scoreboard and recorded six rebounds on the night.

While the Wildcats were able to outrebound William Jewell 42-32, the Cardinals defense forced 24 turnovers to stop them in their tracks.

Baker bounced back the next day with an 83-61 win over CCCB. Previously in the year, the ‘Cats defeated the Saints 92-39.

This time around, both teams gave up 16 turnovers and recorded 32 rebounds during the game.

Baker was able to look to its bench for help again as a total of 11 players put points on the board. Senior Alisha Fanshier led Baker with a personal season high of 22 points. Sophomore Kyrstie Ehm also scored in the double figures, adding 11 points to the Wildcats’ score.

The team shot 50 percent from the floor, while it held the Saints to a shooting percentage of 35. Baker also drained 10 3-pointers and CCCB was only able to hit one.

After the weekend, Baker is now 9-4 overall on the season.

The Wildcats will now have a chance to take a break before their next game Dec. 29 against McPherson College. The game will begin at 2 p.m. in Collins Center.