Vazquez’s return highlights third-straight win for Bearcats

JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Northwest senior Evelyn Vazquez drives on Thursday in Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Evelyn Vazquez had played in 75 games for the Bearcats prior to her season debut on Thursday, but the senior point guard found herself in a new situation against Rockhurst in Kansas City.

Northwest (4-1) went into the game at Municipal Auditorium fresh off last Saturday’s win over defending national champion and top-ranked Minnesota State. The Bearcats kept that momentum with a 66-51 win over Rockhurst.

“Obviously Mankato was a really good game for us, but every game we play is going to be a tough game, so we’ve got to celebrate all the wins that we can get,” Northwest junior Lindsey Kelderman said.

The game didn’t start off smoothly for Northwest with a 1-for-6 start from the field and a pair of missed free throws to go with a turnover. Rockhurst held a 4-2 lead when Bearcat coach Austin Meyer turned to his bench, substituting in Vazquez along with freshmen Brooklyn Stanley and Sadie Maas.

“I was just super excited to get back out there contributing,” Vazquez said. “… It just means a lot to be able to play with my teammates again.”

Northwest closed the quarter on a 10-2 run with Maas scoring five of those points. The momentum carried into the second quarter with a Stanley 3-pointer followed by back-to-back Kelsey Fields’ scores for a 19-6 lead.

“We always talk about how our defense can keep us in games no matter what is going on offensively,” Meyer said. “We just stay after it defensively.”

Vazquez scored on a layup with four minutes left in the half for a 25-10 lead for Northwest. Vazquez provides the Bearcats with more lineup versatility as one of the few pure point guards on a roster that leans on the versatility of combo guards.

“Another on-ball defender,” Meyer said of Vazquez. “Someone else who can knife through defenses and get paint. I thought she did that well today, defended well and rebounded. For her size, she is always around the ball and can get offensive rebounds. It was definitely good to have her back out there.”

The Bearcats took a 27-14 lead into the locker room. Kelderman started the game quietly without a point in the first half, but quickly turned that around with a deep 3-pointer to open the second half. She closed the third quarter the same way with a 3-pointer to make it 44-30.

“I just shot it cause I felt open, so let it fly,” Kelderman laughed.

The lead grew to 23 in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by senior Caely Kesten before settling for the 66-51 final margin.

Fields led the team in scoring with 17 points and six rebounds. Kelderman finished 4-of-5 from 3-point range for 12 points.

“It was good to see it go in and do what I can to help our team get a win,” Kelderman said.

Emree Zars and Kesten each added nine points while the bench was productive with five points from Ella Moody, Stanley and Maas while Vazquez led the team with two steals.

Northwest is back in Municipal Auditorium on Friday at 3 p.m. against Graceland.