Drury University

Junior forward Lindsay Ballweg scored 18 points to lead three in double-figures as No. 7 Drury downed Northeastern State 75-65 in the season opener for the Lady Panthers Monday night at Weiser Gym.

Junior post Caitlin Shouse added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench and sophomore guard Ja'Nell Jones had 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals for the Lady Panthers.

Junior forward Sara Bos grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for the Lady Panthers, who used a key 9-0 spurt midway through the second half to break it open.

Drury was tied with NSU (0-2) at 50-all with 11:49 left in the game when that run occurred. Freshman post Erica Groose nailed a 3-pointer to get it started, and after a steal by freshman Kassie Walker, Shouse scored on a layup to make it 55-50. 

A steal and layup by Ballweg and a steal and jumper by Shouse completed the surge. Drury pushed the lead as high as 13 (66-53 with 6:55 left), and the Riverhawks could get no closer than seven from there.

The Lady Panthers put their newfound depth on display, as 10 players both scored and played at least nine minutes.

"We're going to play a lot of kids. If someone not giving us what we want, we'll put somewhere else in there," said Drury coach Steve Harold, who watched his team hit just 3 of 16 from 3-point range. 

The Lady Panthers - who led 39-36 at halftime - were outrebounded 44-35, as both Jasmine Webb (18 points) and Kendra Dean (17 points) grabbed 10 rebounds each.

"And look at the turnovers ... that's too many," Harold said of the Lady Panthers' 18 miscues (though Drury forced 29 by NSU).

"I just felt tonight we did not execute well. We weren't clean offensively, and we didn't talk very well defensively. Very disappointing to see the rebounding differential, with us losing 44-35 on the boards. I didn't think our effort was there this evening, and I don't know why ... but I've always said this, I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty.

"The biggest thing we've got to do is get on the floor and play some games. I don't think our exhibition games prepared us for what we saw tonight. In the future, we've got to do a better job scheduling preseason games."

The Lady Panthers return to action this weekend with the first Lady Panther/Sleep Inn Classic. Kentucky Wesleyan will face Grand Valley State at 4 p.m. and Drury will take on Christian Brothers at 6 on Friday.

Wesleyan and Christian Brothers will meet at 2 p.m. Saturday before the Lady Panthers and Grand Valley State square off at 4 p.m. to close the two-day event.

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