Preview: Preston Knights vs. University Hawks
Preston is 0-10 against University since February of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Preston Knights will look to defend their home court against the University Hawks at 7:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Preston has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while University will arrive with four straight victories.
Preston pushed their score all the way to 56 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to North Marion on the road by a decisive 71-56 margin. Preston has not had much luck with North Marion recently, as the team's come up short the last eight times they've met.
Preston's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Kendra Nazelrod, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Cameryn Sypolt who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Nazelrod is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games she's played. IsaBella Miller was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
In what's become a running theme this season, University gave their fans yet another huge win last Monday. They claimed a resounding 73-28 victory over Bridgeport at home. While fans of University might be used to big wins, the 45-point margin marked the team's biggest victory yet this season.
Ella Simpson continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 23 points along with six steals and five rebounds. She hasn't dropped below 17 points for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Hannah Stemple, who scored 19 points.
Preston has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-11 record this season. As for University, they pushed their record up to 11-9 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Preston have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like University struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Preston was taken down by University 65-26 when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Preston, Emily Sharkey (who scored 13 points along with three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
