SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Behind 31 points from junior Maddie Gard, IU South Bend recorded their second dominant victory in as many games to start the season Wednesday night, defeating Lourdes (Ohio) 94-70 inside the Student Activities Center.
Gard finished just two points shy of her career high, shooting 12-for-18 from the floor in the win. Rachel Robards collected 14 points, Maddy Schumacher tallied 11, and Emma Fisher led the Titans (2-0) with six rebounds and five assists on the night.
The Titans led from start to finish, starting with an early 7-1 lead midway through the first quarter following a pair of buckets from Gard. With a 10-1 run later in the period, IUSB quickly built a double-digit lead, 20-9 after Katie Gard’s jumper with 55 seconds in the first.
Maddie Gard scored half her team’s points in the second, posting 12 in the Titans’ 24-point quarter. A three-pointer at the 4:04 mark brought Lourdes (0-2) to within six points, 31-25, but the home team would out-score the Gray Wolves 13-4 at the close of the first half to stretch the advantage back to 44-29 at the break.
IU South Bend pulled away in the second half, going up by as much as 29 points late in the third quarter, after a third layup from Amaya Rufus within a two-minute span. Lourdes would close out the game on an 11-2 run over the final four minutes of play, but were unable to get back in the game.
After a pair of home victories over the last four days, the Titans will start a three-game road swing on Saturday, October 30, when they face Concordia (Mich.). Tipoff from Ann Arbor is set for 5:00 p.m.