Pride handle Peru State for 15th win of 2022-23

DUBUQUE, Iowa - In their first matchup against Peru State College of the 2022-23 season, the Clarke University women's basketball team earned a comfortable 73-51 win over the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon at the Kehl Center.

The Pride defense kept Peru State at bay for most of the game with the Bobcats never scoring more than 13 points over the first three quarters as they shot a collective 20-of-66 (30.3%) from the field and only went 3-for-14 (20.1%) from three point range.

CU was led offensively by the trio of Taylor Haase, Emma Kelchen, and Nicole McDermott as Haase and Kelchen combined for 30 of the team's 71 points as McDermott finished the game with her fourth double-double of the season and third in four games with an 11-point, 12-rebound performance.

Haase and Kelchen went to work in the post against the smaller PSC defenders as they combined to shoot 10-for-16 (62.5%) from the field and 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the free throw line. McDermott shot 3-of-4 (75%) from three point range while adding three steals, two assists, and a blocked shot.

The depth scoring for Clarke was led by a perfect 3-for-3 performance from Mya Merschman off the bench for a nine-point game as both Giana Michels and Tina Ubl both scored seven points with Skylar Culbertson finished with five points, six assists, and six rebounds.

The Pride will remain in Dubuque for a Monday matchup against William Penn University on Martin Luther King Day scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. CT tip at the Kehl Center.