At home in the Beck Center for the NCAA Sweet 16, #2 Transy Women's Basketball (30-0) faced off with #16 Ohio Northern (25-5) in the Sweet 16, defeating the Polar Bears 67-43 to advance to the Elite 8.  

The Pioneers started off strong with three-pointers going 5-12 in the first quarter, two of which came from senior Laken Ball, helping Transy jump out to a 23-11 lead after 10 minutes, following the Pioneers' pattern of taking the lead and never releasing it as they have for a majority of the season. They went into the half up 43-27 with confidence. 

Coming out of the half, the Pioneers dominated the third quarter again creating their largest lead at 28 points when they took the 55-27 lead after a 17-0 run against the Polar Bears. They had key momentum gains from junior Sydney Wright's steal plus an and-one layup at 7:12 accompanied by senior Maddie Kellione's three with 4:11 remaining to electrify the Beck crowd as the Pioneers built up their lead to bury the Polar Bears. 

Defensively, the Pioneers converted 20 ONU turnovers into 25 points compared to the Polar Bears' five points off turnovers. They were also able to hold ONU's leading scorer to just three. 

For free throws, the Pioneer shot 12-14 (85.7%) from the free throw line, with Ball, Kellione, Wright, Wurth, and Cornelison shooting 100%.  

Four Pioneers scored in the double digits on the night. Senior Laken Ball led the Pioneers with 16 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. Senior Maddie Kellione added 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Senior Kennedi Stacy tacked on her own 11 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Senior Dasia Thornton led the Pioneers in rebounds with 10, adding 6 points. Junior Sydney Wright led the Pioneers in steals with three, along with 10 points and five rebounds. 

"Our goal tonight in the first half was to turn up the defensive and offensive intensity. Last week, we had played a slower and more controlled game and wanted to let loose tonight. Our players did a great job responding tonight and the crowd's energy helped push us forward," said Coach Fulks. 

Tomorrow, #2 Transy will face #6 NYU at 6:30 in the Beck Center in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Championship. The winner will advance to the Final Four in Connecticut next weekend. 

For more information, visit https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/basketball-women/d3/2023

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