Stillman College women’s basketball just keeps winning.
The Tigers defeated Xavier, out of Louisiana, 74-65, on Saturday in Birthright Alumni Hall to extend its winning streak to seven games. After starting the season 5-8, Stillman pulled it together and is finding ways to win no matter the circumstances. The Tigers are 12-8.
“It’s a coach’s dream,” Stillman women’s basketball coach Alico Dunk said of the streak. “You’re on them so much that they think that you don’t like them, but they’re beginning to see the fruits of their labor and how hard they’ve been working.”
During the streak, guard Ki’Onna Likely, the team's only senior, has been on a tear. By scoring 24 points in the win, she secured her seventh 20-point game this season. Six of those efforts have come in the last eight games.
Even though she started 2 of 7 from the field, Likely managed to reach the foul line multiple times. She scored eight of her final 23 points from the free throw line. Getting to the line helped Likely get back in a rhythm. She finished 8 of 16 from the field.
“She’s been that senior leader that every coach dreams about having,” Dunk said. “She does a good job of leading by example. She’s going to work hard and do the dirty work. It shows in the stat sheet.”
Likely was crucial in helping Stillman figure out a dangerous Xavier press. The Tigers struggled to handle Xavier’s full-court defense in the second in third quarters, resulting in 17 turnovers during that stretch.
Dunk preached patience to his team while it wasted possessions with turnovers. The team listened. Stillman had just five turnovers in the fourth quarter.
“I was proud of them for how they responded,” Dunk said. “That says a lot about them. We’re actually growing up as a team.”
The Tigers had four players finish in double figures. Forward O’Nesha Hunt scored a season-high 14 points. Guard Ashley World added 12 points while shooting 4-of-4 from three-point territory. Guard Morgan Collins also scored 10 points in the win.
Next, Stillman will take on Vorhees College at home on 5:30 p.m. on Monday.