Make that seven straight wins for Christendom’s women’s basketball team. The team, which has shown no signs of letting up since before Christmas, put up two huge statements wins this week to raise their overall record to 13-2, defeating Penn State Mont Alto 71-31 and Appalachian Bible 83-16.
Following up on their thrilling 70-59 win over Apprentice last weekend, the women’s basketball team continued their home stand with a tough matchup against Penn State Mont Alto on Wednesday evening. Once again, all eyes were on Catherine Thomas from the jump, as she drained 15 points and put up 10 rebounds for a double-double. Right on her heels, however, was freshman phenom Regina Bonvissuto, who matched Thomas with 15 points of her own. Their offensive performances helped lead Christendom to a 30-point win over Penn State, 71-41. Miranda Keller led the team with 15 rebounds, which paired nicely with her 11 points — giving her a double-double as well.
The team marched back into St. Louis the Crusader Gymnasium on Friday night for the finale of their five-game home stand, greeted by a packed house of Crusader fans. The game — a rematch after their previous win over Appalachian earlier in the season — played out much the same. Christendom jumped to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter and only continued to stretch the lead from there, holding Appalachian to only 16 points in the entirety of the game. The team won 83-16, pushing their historic win streak to 7.
Thomas, who was named the USCAA Player of the Week before the game, put up yet another 30+ point game, along with 10 rebounds. She currently leads the USCAA DII in points scored, while also ranking second in PPG and RPG. Kate Walz had a huge game herself, scoring 20 points, while Keller continued her domination of the rebound game with 17, along with 16 points scored on the night. The team will look to stretch their streak to 8 games against Apprentice on Tuesday, February 7.
Andrew Heisler played well across the week’s three games.
Christendom’s men’s basketball team continued their own streak of tough matchups this week, playing well but coming up just short. Taking on #7 Penn State Mont Alto at home, the team kept the game close in the first half, trailing only 30-28. As the second half began, the team took the lead, trading points back and forth with Penn State the rest of the way. Their effort fell short in the final minutes, however, with Penn State Mont Alto ultimately taking the game 69-60. Despite the loss, John Paul Vander Woude again had a great game for Christendom, scoring 25 points.
On Friday, taking on Appalachian Bible, Christendom’s offense was finally able to break through early and hold a lead for the rest of the game. Their 68-38 win, fueled by great performances from freshmen Bobby Vander Woude (12 points) and Josh Pabst (10 points), broke their 4-game losing streak and put the team back in the win column. The team carried that momentum into Saturday’s game against Bryant and Stratton, taking a 28-26 lead into the second half. Bryant and Stratton mounted a comeback in the second, however, handing Christendom another close, tough loss at 61-53.
John Paul Vander Woude led the team with 18 points, followed closely by Bobby Vander Woude with 13 and Andrew Heisler with 11 points. The team will next take on Apprentice on Tuesday, February 7, on the road.
For more information, visit christendomathletics.com.