SCOTTSBLUFF, NE – The host Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team didn't leave much to doubt as they cruised to a 74-56 win over Laramie County Community College to open the Fairfield Inn Cougar Classic on Friday night, despite a valiant effort in the second half by LCCC to come back that fell short.
"Obviously a slow start for us, for whatever reason we were missing a lot of shots, but I definitely liked what I saw in the second half. We came out and were just a lot more aggressive at the rim and with our shots and on defense. By the time we got into our rhythm it was just a little too late," Head Coach Danielle Rinaldo said.
The Cougars didn't hold anything back in the opening quarter when the Golden Eagles couldn't find much that went right. The game began with LCCC down just 6-3, but a 14-0 run to close the quarter gave them a 17-point lead heading into the second quarter.
LCCC's offense was able to get a bit of a footing underneath them in the second but still went into the locker room down 39-17 at the break.
In the second half, there was a renewed energy from the Golden Eagles and they were able to play tighter to the host Cougars, despite the Cougars winning the quarter, there was a resilience showing from the team.
That carried into the fourth quarter and the shots began to fall more consistently for the Golden Eagles who found their first 20-point quarter of the game with a 22-15 win to close the gap to 20 a the end of the game.
Only two Golden Eagles finished with double digits, led by Kelly Megown who capped off her night with 16 points and four rebounds. Flora Lukow added ten more points and another four rebounds, as well as three assists and three steals.
As a team, the Golden Eagles finished shooting 36 percent from the field and had a strong night from three, going 10-24 from deep for a 41.7 percent clip.
LCCC was outrebounded in the game 30-29 but had the advantage in offensive rebounds 15-8. The team also won the turnover battle with a plus-5 mark in the category.
There isn't a lot of time to lick wounds for the Golden Eagles as they will be back in action on Saturday morning against the Dodge City Community College Conquistadors. The Conqs are fresh off of a trip to the NJCAA National Championships in 2023-24 and were ranked 14th in the preseason polls from the NJCAA.
More information on this game and the full season can be found at www.golccc.com.