2 parts Gard, 1 part Watts, and a whole lotta Titan
By: Matt Lood
Staff-Writer/ Sports Liaison
Reigning Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) champions IU South Bend Titans are picking up right where they left off, starting this season 6-0. The Titans went 2-0 last week, beating the Bethel University Pilots on Nov. 15 with a score of 88-65 and the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines on Nov. 11 with a score of 98-50.
The Titans play an exciting brand of basketball, with players across the starting five and the bench able to contribute to a win. Against the Pilots, IU South Bend had one of their slower starts, allowing the Pilots finish the first quarter down one point. Senior Jazmen Watts and senior Katie Gard each scored eight points in the opening quarter while shooting a combined 4-4 from three. The Titans led 22-21 at the end of quarter one.
In the second quarter, the Titans would show what they were made of, outscoring the Pilots 24-8. Watts continued her scorching form, finishing the half with 20 points. All momentum was on the side of the Titans, as they led 46-29.
Following the intermission, The Titans would stay red hot from the field, making 10 of their 14 shot attempts. Katie Gard led the team in the third with eight points, followed closely by her sister, Maddie Gard, who scored seven points. At the end of the third quarter, the Titans had a commanding lead of 71-49.
The fourth quarter was more of the same as the Titans finished the game strong, adding 17 more points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Titans won with a score of 88-65.
Most impressively, as a team, the Titans shot an outstanding 57 percent from the field to pair with 71 percent from three-point range. The Titans also performed highly at the free-throw line, shooting 85 on 12-14 shooting from the charity stripe.
Final tallies from the game include Katie Gard with 28 points, three rebounds, three assists and an arguably most impressive 6-6 day from behind the three-point line, making all six three-pointers she shot. Watts finished with 22 points, three rebounds and an assist, and Maddie Gard finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Titans look to keep the momentum going as they host IU Northwest on Nov. 21 to open up CCAC play in a rematch of last year’s CCAC Championship game.
