Somebody forgot to tell the women’s basketball team it’s difficult to win games on the road.

The Wildcats prevailed for the third game in a row away from Collins Center Saturday and beat Lindenwood University in a crucial Heart of America Athletic Conference game, 77-66.

“It’s always huge to get a win on the road in the HAAC,” senior Kaitlin Schneden said.

Head coach Susan Decker made some tactical changes to begin the contest as she  started seniors Hannah Eagleman and Jenna Brantley and freshman Rae Lynne Stewart.

 ”I think it showed that coach has a lot of confidence in everyone,” Eagleman said. “We have depth at all positions. And it’s not about who’s starting, we all support each other.”

The usual suspects dominated for the ‘Cats as Schneden and sophomore Aubree Gustin led the way offensively. Schneden dropped in 17 points off 6-of-11 shooting and Gustin added 14 with six rebounds. Brantley made good on her 15 minutes of play, scoring 11 points and nabbing three steals.

“We had  really good ball movement in the game,” Schneden said. “We came out and executed our plays and had our inside-out game working so the guards were open.”

Despite being out-rebounded 38-26, the defense also performed well. The ‘Cats created 22 turnovers and stole the ball away from the Lions nine times.

“Coach rotated us in and out frequently,” Schneden said. “We got fresh legs in every three to five minutes and absolutely put it on them. We wore them down.”

Perhaps the biggest difference in the game was the free throw shooting percentages.  The Wildcats were stellar from the line, converting on 19-of-22 attempts. Lindenwood, however was another story as it put up a dismal 52 percent on 12-of-23 shots.

The win brought the Wildcats to 11-11 on the season and 5-7 in the HAAC. Thursday the squad played Central Methodist University but results were unavailable at presstime. The last time the Eagles came to town the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning 64-52.

Next up, the squad will face Evangel University at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Springfield, Mo. <br/>"Evangel's posts are really good and really strong," Gustin said."Evangel's posts are really good and really strong," Gustin said.
“Evangel’s posts are really good and really strong,” Gustin said.