OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce scored the first 39 points and forced 37 turnovers to beat Bentley 57-16 on Friday, Feb. 7. The win lifted the Jayhawks to 16-3 and gave them a two-game winning streak.
Head-Royce took control on its first trip down the floor. Morgan R. scored on a second-chance basket, and Leila H. followed with a 3-pointer off a turnover. Elena K. added two 3-pointers during the run, but most of the damage came from Morgan R., who turned Bentley turnovers into layups again and again. She scored 21 of the 39 points in the opening run, and Kalia K. and Melina M. also scored off turnovers. Bentley did not score until Ayan's basket made it 39-2. Elena K. answered with a 3-pointer from Leila H., and Head-Royce led 42-2 after the first quarter. Neither team scored in the second quarter, so that was also the halftime score.
Melina M. opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, assisted by Leila H., to make it 45-2. After an exchange of baskets, Kalia K. hit a 3-pointer from Leila H. that made it 50-6, the largest lead of the game at 44 points. Bentley then scored nine straight points, five of them by Marley, to cut the gap to 50-15. Morgan R. ended that run with a second-chance 3-pointer, assisted by Kalia K. After a Bentley free throw, she scored the last four points of the game. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, and the lead never changed hands.
Morgan R. finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 steals, a triple-double. She made 13 of 18 shots from the field, blocked three shots and committed one turnover. Elena K. added 11 points, going 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and had four steals. Leila H. scored six points and had a team-high six assists, and every one of those assists set up a 3-pointer or a basket for a teammate. Kalia K. had five points and eight rebounds. Melina M. added five points, five rebounds and five steals.
The defense decided this game. Head-Royce had 29 steals, and Bentley turned the ball over 37 times, which led to 24 Jayhawk points. Head-Royce shot 29.5 percent (23 of 78) but made up for it on the glass, outrebounding Bentley 52-27. Thirty-one of those rebounds came on the offensive end and led to 11 second-chance points. Bentley shot 18.8 percent (6 of 32) and missed all five of its 3-point attempts. Every Head-Royce point came from the starters. Marley led Bentley with five points but had 12 of the team's turnovers.
The win completed a season sweep of Bentley. Head-Royce also won the first meeting 44-31 on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Head-Royce (16-3) plays next at Encinal on Saturday, March 1.