WNCC women capture 15th win with victory over Otero

LAJUNTA, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team showcased a balanced scoring attack in picking up its 15th win of the season with a 60-52 win over Otero Junior College Saturday in LaJunta, Colo.

WNCC coach Dave Harnish said this is a good win in a place that is hard to win in.

"I thought we competed real hard, but we turned it over too much," he said. "We had a 18-point lead with about six minutes to go and we really didn't finish very well. But anytime you can get a win down here, it is a good win. We played hard and controlled the boards, and for the most part played real good defense."

The Cougars held a 28-24 lead at intermission and pushed the lead to 18 points with about six minutes to play. What pleased Harnish the most was how everyone played well, giving the team balanced scoring.

"It was a nice night where the bench came in and did a nice job," he said. "Everybody that played did a good job tonight. We had balanced scoring, which is nice to see."

Yuki Morimoto and Thais Pinto paced the 15-2 Cougars with 10 points each, followed by Amber Kistler and Khayla Gladney each with eight points.

The Cougars connected on three 3-pointers, including two from Morimoto. The other three came from Bayard's Amber Kistler.

WNCC also shot over 75 percent from the free throw line, connecting on 17 of 23 charity shots. Otero was 10 of 15 from the free throw line.

The 16th-ranked Cougars will take their eight-game winning streak to Casper, Wyo., to face Casper College on Wednesday. After that, they will open up sub-region play at Norfolk against Northeast Community College on Saturday.

WNCC (15-2) 28 32 -- 60
Otero (13-4) 24 28 -- 52
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Amber Kistler 8, Stormye Everett 7, Yuki Morimoto 10, Tiffany Moorer 5, Thais Pinto 10, Ariana Brown 3, Carolina Alves 6, Michelle Glaze 3, Khayla Gladney 8.