The Bloomington Purple Raiders came tearing into Thursday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Manual by a score of 49-42. The score was all tied up 21-21 at the break, but Bloomington was the better team in the second half.
Bloomington found their leader in underclassman Tina Lenard, who scored 15 points along with six steals. Lenard is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed four or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Crissiana Rose, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Manual's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Antaya Taylor, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Taylor is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for five games straight. Another player making a difference was Breyasia Grayson, who scored eight points along with 16 rebounds.
Manual struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Bloomington racked up 12 assists.
Bloomington pushed their record up to 10-13 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Manual, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-14.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bloomington will take on the Little Giants at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully Canton focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up five on Friday. As for Manual, they will be playing at home against the Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Richwoods presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Rams in Illinois (the Knights are ranked 54th, while the Rams are ranked 282nd).
