Pride bounce back with comfortable win over Trinity Christian
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Playing their first game of the 2025-26 season on their home floor, the Clarke University women's basketball team rolled to a 76-43 victory against Trinity Christian College on Tuesday night at the Kehl Center.
In a game that couldn't have started better for the Pride, they outscored TCC 24-2 over the majority of the opening period with the final two points of the quarter coming on Trolls' free throws at the last second to push the score to 24-4 heading to the second quarter.
That start allowed CU head coach Adam Hocking to balance the minutes throughout the entirety of his lineup with no starter playing more than Zoe Kennedy's 25 minutes in the game and every member of the bench playing at least four minutes and five players getting 10 or more minutes off the bench.
Clarke was able to continuously grow their lead as the game continued to its largest of 47 points halfway through the fourth quarter thanks to outscoring the Trolls 40-22 in the paint, outrebounding them by 15, and scoring 27 points off of their 25 turnovers despite shooting 38.3 precent from the field and 22.2 percent from three over the entire 40 minutes of the game.
Kennedy's 17 points was the game-high as she got all five of her makes from the field from beyond the arc, going 5-for-8 (62.5%) from three while also grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists, and recording one steal with three of the other four starters also finishing with double figures as Reese Ryan produced 14 points and five rebounds, Camdyn Kay scored a career-high 11 and grabbed five rebounds of her own, and Hailey Walters had a 10-point, four-rebound, two-steal night.
Four members of the Pride bench unit produced points led by a seven-point game from freshman Jessica Morgan on 3-for-6 (50%) shooting from the field as she also grabbed four rebounds, Breckan Stewart led all Clarke players in the game with eight rebounds while adding four points, Abby Hollis went 2-for-6 (33.3%) from deep for a six-point game, and Jenna Scheller scored three points with a make from the field and from the free throw line.
Everyone else that entered the game for CU at least grabbed one rebound as Luz Del Rosario Kwiatkowski Perez grabbed three, Lauren Stone finished with two, Rachel Lind had one, Karley Hawkins got three, Mya McNeil grabbed one, and Ashley Swift finished with two offensive rebounds.
Clarke women's basketball will be back in action on their home floor on Thursday, Nov. 6 when they welcome Waldorf University to the Kehl Center for a 7:00 p.m. CT opening tip.