MARIETTA, OHIO -- Senior guard Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) scored a game-high 21 points to help lead the Trine University women's basketball team to a 64-43 win against Marietta College in the championship game of the 34th Annual Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot in Marietta, Ohio.
Williams shot seven-of-10 overall from the floor (70.0 percent), including three-of-four from three-point range (75.0 percent) and four-of-five at the free-throw line (80.0 percent). Fellow senior Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) also scored in double figures and had 11 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.
Freshman Kelsy Taylor (Louisville, Ky./New Albany) rounded out the high scorers with 10 points.
As a group, the Trine starting five combined to score 51 of the team's 64 total points. Trine (5-1) scored the first seven points of the contest, beginning with back-to-back baskets by Williams and ended with a three-point play by Dawson for the early lead. Marietta (3-1) scored its first bucket at the 4:27 mark and worked its way back to within four points, 10-6, with 1:44 to go in the period. The final points of the quarter came on one-of-two free-throws by Trine senior Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind./Churubusco) that gave the Thunder an 11-6 margin after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the Pioneers connect on a pair of freebies to start the scoring and narrow the gap to three points, 11-8. But a three-pointer by Williams sparked a 9-2 scoring run that gave Trine its first double-digit lead of the game, 20-10, with 6:12 to go in the first half. The Thunder eventually went on to lead by as many as 13 points, 32-19, following two free-throws by junior Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) en route to Trine taking a 33-21 lead heading into the locker rooms.
Trine led by double figures throughout the third quarter and continued to pull away, recording a large lead of 19 points on two occasions with the first one being at the 1:17 mark on layup by Taylor that made the score, 50-31. After a basket by Marietta, Taylor connected on another layup just before the end of the frame to equal Trine's largest lead of the game so far and send the Thunder into the final period leading by a score of 52-33.
The Thunder reached their first 20-point margin of the game at the 6:24 minute mark of the fourth quarter thanks to a layup by sophomore Shay Herbert (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) for a score of 57-36. Marietta never threatened the Trine lead as the visitors led by as many as 23 points en route to claiming a 64-43 win.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Williams and Dawson were both selected to the All-Tournament Team and Williams was also tabbed the "Most Valuable Player."
Trine will stay on the road and open Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play with a trip to Alma, Mich. on Saturday, Dec. 1 to take on Alma College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.