2023 at Reid Arena ended on a high note. The Colorado College women's basketball team wrapped up their final home game of the calendar year with a 69-38 win over Southwestern University.
The dynamic pair of
Zoë Tomlinson and freshman
Rose Koehler combined for 32 points (16 each) and 17 rebounds. The duo shot a combined 76.5 percent from the floor.
"It was a really good bounce-back for us," head coach
Katherine Auguste said. "Friday night against a good TLU team was rough, but how we responded in terms of our press, rebounding and efficiency on offense. I'm really really proud of our group."
Tomlinson racked up 13 rebounds to give her nine double-doubles on the season. She led the team throughout the weekend, averaging 14 points and 12 boards. Koehler matched her career high of 16 points, the second time she put up that amount this season. The Bend, Oregon native played 18 minutes and knabbed two seals on top of her dominating offensive performance.
"Rose had a day today," Auguste said. "She was aggressive to the hoop, doing what she needed to do on defense, and she is just really finding her role within our team."
The Tigers got off to a slow start as the Pirates climbed to an 11-5 lead with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter. CC recovered by going on a 10-1 run to end the first quarter and going into the second with a 15-12 lead.
In the second, CC shot 47 percent from the floor and held SWU to 22.22 percent shooting. The increase in play from the Tiger defense helped grow their existing lead as they outscored the Pirates 17-4 in the second. Koehler led all scorers with nine points at the break as CC entered the locker room with a 32-16 advantage.
Offensively, the third quarter was the most dominant for CC. They missed only four shots out of their 14 attempts (71.43 FG percentage). Tomlinson put up eight points in the quarter and
Kyle Rowland led the defense with two steals. Rowland ended the game with a career-high three steals to go with her existing three points, one rebound and one block.
CC ended the final ten minutes of play with a 31-point lead and didn't fail to maintain it. Both teams shot 40 percent in the last quarter; each scored 13 points, which sealed the Tigers' first SCAC win of the year.
They outrebounded their opponents 41-30 and the Tiger bench outscored the Pirates' bench 38-16.
CC will return on the road to close out 2023 with a pair of games in Texas, starting with St. Thomas in Houston on Friday, Dec. 29, and then at Centenary on Sunday, Dec. 31.
"We have a really strong league, and our team needs to be ready and do us every single night. If we do that, things are going to go well," Auguste said.
