Lady Crusaders Win 8th Straight With 81-59 At Graceland

Lamoni, Iowa – Evangel went on a 16-2 run over a five minute span midway through the second half to open up a lead on the way to an 81-59 win at Graceland Saturday. The run was part of a second half that saw the Lady Crusaders outscore the Yellowjackets 48-30 after leading by just four at halftime.

Sophomore forward Kara Blankenship led Evangel with 24 points and pulled down eight rebounds. The Republic native was 6 for 8 from the floor and 12 for 13 at the free throw line. Kelsie Hargus added 19 for Evangel and Caitlin Russell and Ashlee Luko had 14 each. Luko also had 9 assists.

The win was Evangel’s eighth straight and their 10th consecutive win in the Heart of America conference. The improved to 16-4 and 10-1 in the HAAC while Graceland dropped to 9-8 and 4-7 in the conference.

Marisa Rauss led Graceland with 15 points.

The Lady Crusaders matched a season high shooting 57.1% from the field making 24 of their 42 shots. Evangel got to 81 points despite a season high 29 turnovers. They outrebounded Graceland 39-19 in the game.

Evangel is at home for their next game on Thursday against Lindenwood at 5:30 p.m.

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