Gray Wolves Score Big Road Win at Indiana Tech - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Gray Wolves Score Big Road Win at Indiana Tech

FORT WAYNE - Lourdes rallied from a six-point second half deficit and had three players tally double figures on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves posted a 72-62 victory over Indiana Tech at the Schaefer Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"This was a total team effort today," head coach Zareth Gray said of the win.  "We spread out the scoring, shared the ball well, and had 17 assists with just 15 turnovers."

Emily Orsini (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban H.S.) had her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Courtney Slepko (Cleveland, Ohio/Normandy H.S.) scored a career-high 15 points on the afternoon.  Ty Ali (Chicago, Ill./Rich South H.S.) added 14 points and four assists in the victory.

"Emily really played her tail off today," Gray stated.  "Slepko hit four threes, and lots of different people contributed today."

The first half was tight for the first 11 minutes with six ties and six lead changes until the Warriors went on an 8-0 run over three minutes to take a 29-21 lead.  Lourdes fought back, cutting the deficit to one, 34-33, with under a minute to play in the first half on a jumper by Tiffany Scott (Ottawa Lake, Mich./Sylvania Southview H.S.).  Indiana Tech scored the final five points of the stanza though to take a 39-33 lead into the break.

Lourdes came out of the locker room scoring the first seven points of the half.  The Gray Wolves took the lead on a jumper by Orsini to cap the run.

"We came out the second half with a lot of energy and made a run," Gray added.  "We felt at halftime we were in good shape if would could eliminate a couple of the mental mistakes we made the first half."

The lead bounced back and forth until the 10-minute mark when Slepko drained a triple, butting the Gray Wolves on top 54-52, a lead they would not relinquish.  The three started a 7-0 Lourdes run that pushed the lead to six.

Indiana Tech fought back, closing to within one on a Rachael Kruse jumper with three minutes to play, 59-58.  Lourdes scored the next seven points and never looked back though.  The Gray Wolves made six free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

"A screen and roll between Tiffany and Emily when they cut it to one was the turning point I think," Gray concluded.

Lourdes forced 24 Indiana Tech turnovers on the afternoon which led to 36 Gray Wolf points.  They also pulled down 17 offensive boards and converted them into 20 second chance points.

Rachael Kruse led Indiana Tech (11-15, 9-9 WHAC) with 19 points while Chelsea Carradine added 15 more.

Lourdes (8-18, 5-13) will return home on Wednesday evening to host Siena Heights.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Tam-o-Shanter.