Women's Basketball Wins Big in Season Opener
DALLAS – Dallas College Cedar Valley women's basketball team opened the season with an 88-30 win at Southwestern Adventist University Wednesday night.
The No. 14-ranked Suns outscored the Knights, 21-4, in the second quarter to take a commanding lead, and never looked back.
Deja Thomas and Carmela Hayden each scored 16 points, and combined for 13 steals and 12 rebounds for Cedar Valley, which shot 43 percent from the field. Deja Thomas added five assists, and shot 6 of 11 from the floor. Mia Thomas added 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had two steals. Keely Burks finished with 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting.
Southwestern Adventist's Yunis Balboa had nine points and four rebounds. Derria Laury had seven points and seven rebounds.
Deja Thomas' steal and layup with 7:40 to play in the first quarter gave the Suns a 9-5 lead. After Laury scored 20 seconds later to keep it a two-point game, Mia Thomas grabbed a defensive board and scored at the 6:14 mark to cushion the Suns with a four-point lead. Balboa's bucket at the 4:07 mark pulled the Knights within 11-10. Cedar Valley's Ciana Fudzie scored with just under 3:00 to go in the period, and Sarah Valderrama answered with a triple after a Southwestern Adventist timeout to tie the game at 13.
Deja Thomas' layup inside the last minute of the quarter put the Suns up, 18-15, before Carmela Hayden sank one of two free throws 24 seconds later to give the Suns the separation they needed.
Cedar Valley, which held Southwestern Adventist to 27.3 percent shooting, including 2 of 10 from beyond the three-point line, outscored the Knights, 21-2, over the first 8:18 of the second quarter to stretch the lead to 40-17 on Mia Thomas' three-pointer. The Suns outscored the Knights, 48-11, in the second half.
Southwestern Adventist committed 48 turnovers in a game Cedar Valley's bench outscored the opposition, 47-9. The Suns outscored SWAU, 42-16, in the paint.
Taylor Elam and Ciarrah Golden each scored eight points for the Suns, who were 10 of 21 from long distance.
Cedar Valley will compete in the Hill College Classic Friday and Saturday. Friday's game versus Temple College tips off at 7 p.m. Saturday's finale against Hill is scheduled for 2 p.m.