Case Western Reserve University senior forward Kayla Characklis scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Spartans to a 73-55 win over Allegheny College on Sunday afternoon in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
The win put a stop to a two-game skid for the Spartans, who improved to 3-3 overall for the season, while the Gators dropped to 1-5 with the loss.
Graduate student forward Morgan Micallef scored 10 of her 16 points in the first quarter to help the Spartans take control of the game early. After Allegheny scored the first basket of the game, back-to-back threes by sophomore guard/forward Emily Plachta helped the Spartans take the lead and spur a 10-0 run for the team. CWRU went on to lead by as many as 17 points in the opening quarter, taking a 25-8 lead on a three by first-year guard Jordyn Call with 52 seconds left in the period and carrying a 25-11 advantage into the second period. The 26-point output in the first quarter by the Spartans was the team's highest-scoring period of the campaign.
Allegheny outscored CWRU 18-8 in the second quarter to pull within five points by halftime. However, behind 12 points from Characklis in the third, the Spartans put up another 26-point period and led by 22 points, 60-38, heading into the final quarter. CWRU maintained at least a 14-point lead throughout the fourth quarter en route to the 18-point victory.
Characklis' career-high 22-point effort was her second 20-point game of the week and came on a nine-of-14 shooting effort. Graduate student forward Kate Montgomery added her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Micallef and Plachta (10 points) were also in double figures. Senior guard Sarah Mitchell added four points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the game.
The 73 points were a season-high for the Spartans, who also recorded season-bests with a 46.8% (29-62) shooting percentage and a 41.2% (7-17) mark from three-point range. CWRU also dished out a season-high 20 assists on Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans will be off on Monday before returning to Horsburgh Gymnasium on Tuesday, November 28 to host Mount Union at 7:00 p.m.
