Senior forward Lindsay Ballweg scored 23 points to lead four Lady Panthers in double-figures as Drury rolled past Texas A&M-Commerce 98-60 in the first round of the Lady Panthers/Sleep Inn Classic Friday night at Weiser Gym.
Drury (2-0) blistered the net with 76 percent shooting (22 of 29) in the first half, including a 9-for-11 showing from 3-point range, in running out to a 57-33 halftime lead over the Lions (0-1). The Lady Panthers "cooled" to 52 percent shooting in the second half (14 of 27) to finish at 64 percent (36 of 56) for the game.
Ballweg, a returning First Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection, hit 8 of her 9 attempts, including 5 of 6 shots from beyond the 3-point line, to lead the hot shooting for DU. Senior post Caitlin Shouse hit 7 of 9 from the floor and added 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Lady Panthers, who claimed a 42-24 advantage on the boards.
"I thought in the first half we shot it well because we moved it well," Drury coach Steve Harold said. "I told the kids before the game lets move it in and out, and we got some good looks with some skips (passes).
"Lindsay's capable of lighting it up when she gets going ... I've seen it too many times from feeding her passes in practice. Shouse has been playing extremely well. She's a blue-collar, a worker ... Shouse knows how to score the basketball, and she's doing that well for us."
Junior point guard Ja'Nell Jones added 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while freshman forward Amanda Gibbons had 10 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
Gibbons and fellow freshmen Bri Anton and Abby Bracker combined for 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in their Weiser Gym debut.
"I thought tonight the balance was there, and those freshmen really came in and got themselves going," Harold said.
Redshirt freshman Sara Jane Plemmons, in her first-ever game at Weiser after sitting out last season with a knee injury, had eight points and three assists in 12 minutes of action.
Nakazi Glover had 15 points and Mattilyn McIntyre added 14 points for the Lions.
The Lady Panthers will close the Sleep Inn Classic by taking on Missouri Western (0-1) at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at Weiser. Western fell to Michigan Tech, the nation's top-ranked D-II team, by a 67-37 final.
Michigan Tech will face Texas A&M-Commerce at 3 p.m. Saturday in the opening contest.
Video Highlights
Game Notes vs. Missouri Western (Saturday)
Drury-A&M-Commerce Box Score
Michigan Tech-Missouri Western Box Score