Titans Rout Bulldogs 85-46 to End Sweet 16 Round

PASCO, Wash. – The Lane Titans crushed Bellevue 85-46 to end the Sweet 16 round of the NWAC Women's Basketball Championship, presented by Sun Pacific Energy, on Thursday night at Columbia Basin College.

The #1-seed Titans (29-1, 15-1 South) got off to a slow start, trailing 8-1 early in the first quarter. They pulled the Bulldog lead down to 14-13 to end the first quarter before exploding for 31 points in the second quarter. Lane outscored Bellevue 57-20 during the second and third quarters to take complete control of the game.

In the second and third quarter combined, Lane shot a blistering 21-for-31 from the floor that included seven made three pointers. That came after shooting 5-for-14 in the first quarter and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Titans got a big game from South Region MVP Bella Hamel, who finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Hamel was nearly perfect shooting on the night, going 9-for-11 from the field and 5-of-6 on threes. Toni Coleman had 14 points, seven steals and five assists while Sarah Ball came off the bench to score 14 points with 11 boards. Sierra Scheppele had 13 points.

The #4-seeded Bulldogs (16-11, 8-6 North) were led by Helena Van Ess, who scored 11 points with four assists and three steals. Sav Huerta added 10 points and Mckayla Rodriguez paced the team with 10 rebounds.

The Titans move onto the quarterfinals, taking on North Idaho on Friday at 4 p.m.

FOLLOW NWAC SPORTS