CHICAGO – Four players scored in double figures in helping Chicago State women's basketball post an 83-75 exhibition victory over NAIA Division II St. Francis (Ind.) on Sunday afternoon at the Emil and Patricia Convocation Center.
CSU dominated in the first nine minutes of the first half to gain a 22-8 leading margin with five points coming from junior Tressa Beckel (Waseca, Minn./Wisconsin) (Waseca, Minn.) and sophomore Jael Peña (Harlem, N.Y.) added four points. The Cougars increased their advantage to 42-20 with 3:08 left in the half after recording a 20-12 run through an eight-minute span led by six points by sophomore Janay Dockery (Detroit, MI/Martin Luther King) (Detroit, Mich.). St. Francis then scored eight of the final 10 points of the half to into the break down by a 44-28 margin.
After CSU increased its lead to 46-28 on a Beckel layup at the 19:52 mark of the second half, St. Francis outscored the home team by a 49-34 margin in a span of over 17 minutes to claim a slim 71-70 lead after a three-point play by senior Chelsea Joseph at the 2:05 mark. Joseph and junior Chanell Ridley each recorded 10 points during the run for the Lady Cougars. The home team then went on to outscore St. Francis by a 13-4 margin over the final two minutes to earn the win.
Senior Alyssa Waldon (Sun Prairie, WI/Sun Prairie) (Sun Prairie, Wis.) led Chicago State with 15 points and four steals, while junior Elana Wroten (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (Chicago, Ill.) posted 12 points and junior Courtney Waldon (Sun Prairie, WI/Sun Prairie) (Sun Prairie, Wis.) nearly tallied a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds. Peña added 10 points, four assists and three steals while going 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
St. Francis was led by Ridley's 22 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Markee Martin added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Joseph finished the game with 11 points, while junior Bianca Woods posted five points, five assists and five steals.
The Cougars open their 2009-10 season on Nov. 13 when they travel to Mid-American Conference power Bowling Green in Ohio for a first round contest of the 2009 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
~CSU~
