By: Dana Becker
Messenger Sports Staff
Wednesday night presented just what the Iowa Central women needed.
Reeling following three consecutive losses, the Tritons had no trouble getting back on track with a commanding 75-44 victory over Ellsworth inside Hodges Fieldhouse.
Emily Theiss led four players in double figures, scoring 16, as Laney Pilcher added 15, Kaitlyn Tendal had 13 and Alicia Hatlestad added 12.
Jordan Mayland chipped in eight points and Fort Dodge Senior High grad Lainey Maehl added six.
Iowa Central (16-6 overall, 8-6 in ICCAC) raced out to a 23-8 lead, building on its advantage from there with a 15-8 run in the second quarter. They closed the contest strong, outscoring the Panthers (9-15, 4-11) over the final 10 minutes, 20-10.
"While we didn't have the best shooting night form outside, we shot 40 percent from the floor and 88 percent from the line. We reminded our team that every win in this conference is key to postseason seeding and success."
Tendal had five steals and Pilcher four as the Tritons forced 33 turnovers and converted those into 34 points. Tendal also had a team-high seven rebounds while dishing out five assists.
Theiss also had seven rebounds and five steals with two steals.
For Ellsworth, Favour Nemecha Anyaele had 15 points and Marin Lind Agustsdottir added 11.
With the win, Iowa Central completed a season sweep of the Panthers, adding to its 76-59 win in Iowa Falls in December.
The Tritons, who host Northeast on Saturday for jam-the-gym, are now 8-3 at home on the year.
IOWA CENTRAL 75, ELLSWORTH 44
Iowa Central — Jordan Mayland 3-5 0-0 8, Alicia Hatlestad 6-11 0-1 12, Kaitlyn Tendal 3-11 6-6 13, Alyssa Lux 0-2 0-0 0, Emily Theiss 7-18 2-2 16, Amaya Terrell 0-1 0-0 0, Laney Pilcher 6-12 3-3 15, Olivia Miller 1-4 0-0 2, Mia Danielson 1-4 1-2 3, Lainey Maehl 1-2 4-4 6. Totals: 28-70 16-18 75.
Ellsworth — Ingrid Martinez Guillen 0-1 0-0 0, Marin Lind Agustsdottir 5-8 0-0 11, Favour Nemecha Anyaele 7-15 1-3 15, Taylor Ross 3-9 0-0 6, Laia Santanch 0-5 0-0 0, Fabiana Nieves Martinez 3-4 0-0 7, Cailin Reimer 0-1 0-0 0, Ellyse Ball 1-4 0-0 2, Nile Celaya 1-2 1-2 3. Totals: 20-49 2-5 44.
Halftime score: Iowa Central led 38-16. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 3-22 (Mayland 2, Tendal 1), Ellsworth 2-14 (Agustsdottir 1, Nieves Martinez 1). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 33, Ellsworth 40. Assists: Iowa Central 14, Ellsworth 8. Steals: Iowa Central 14, Ellsworth 3. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 0, Ellsworth 5. Turnovers: Iowa Central 10, Ellsworth 33. Team fouls: Iowa Central 11, Ellsworth 13.