PITTSBURG, Kan. – Behind a career-high 22 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting from sophomore Lauren Ramey, the #20-ranked Lady Bulldogs defeated Washburn 80-62 on Friday at the GAC / MIAA Crossover.
 
Ramey poured in 13 points in the first half, knocking down three three-pointers to help SWOSU open up a 31-12 lead early in the second quarter. Washburn answered with a 14-0 run to make it a five-point game, which is where the score would remain as the Lady Dawgs led 36-31 at halftime.
 
SWOSU maintained an advantage of at least five points the entire second half as nine different players contributed in the scoring column while the team shot 48.3% (14-of-29) from the field for the half. The Lady Bulldogs also knocked down 11-of-12 (91.7%) free throws to help fend off the Ichabods down the stretch. The defense by SWOSU forced Washburn into 17 turnovers, which the Lady Dawgs converted into 20 points and the SWOSU bench outscored the Ichabods 35-21.
 
Ramey was the star offensively as she hit every shot she put up, finishing 7-of-7 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to surpass her scoring total from last season. Three others reached double figures in scoring as Tyra Aska and Taylor Hedrick had 12 points apiece while Makyra Tramble chipped in 10 off the bench. Bethany Franks pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds for SWOSU while Taber Beer dished out a team-high seven assists and Aska led the Dawgs with four steals.
 
"I thought we did some really good things in spurts today, but I don't like the inconsistency we showed at times," Head Coach Kelsi Musick said following her 300th game leading the Lady Bulldogs. "We need players to step up and today was Lauren's opportunity. I thought she had a really good game, which goes to show that hard work, learning and continuing to grow can really pay off."
 
SWOSU will conclude the GAC / MIAA Crossover on Saturday evening against event host Pittsburg State, with tipoff set for 7:00 pm at John Lance Arena.