Chris Mangan

In the span of less than a minute, the SDSU women’s basketball team turned a tight two-point game into a rout.

The quick run by the Jacks helped them to an easy 83-63 victory over the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Jan. 19 in Kansas City.

With the Jacks (18-2, 7-1) clinging to a two-point lead late in the first half, a Ketty Cornemann 3-pointer and back-to-back treys by Jill Young helped the Jacks take an 11-point lead into halftime.

The Jacks carried the momentum into the second half, scoring the first four of the half; the Kangaroos would not get closer than eight the rest of the way.

“They’re just really good; they’re going to wear people down,” said Kangaroos coach Candace Whitaker. “They’re constantly playing with the same energy, and (we’re) young and understanding the intensity. You have to work at it for 40 minutes and not 15.”

During this recent road trip to Southern Utah and UMKC, the Jacks let the opposition hang around for most of the first half before using runs in each game to pull away.

“It’s a tough trip, and both teams are much improved,” head coach Aaron Johnston said. “The fact that we were able to get two convincing wins says a lot about how much we’ve improved, too.”

While Cornemann took over the first half, scoring 18 of her career-high 23 in the first 20 minutes, Jennifer Warkenthien carried the team in the second half, with 15 of her 17 points coming during the second frame. Just like they did in the Southern Utah game, the Jacks made an effort to look inside to the posts in the second half. The move paid off as the Jacks shot over 58 percent from the floor after the break.

“The reason we’re shooting a better percentage (lately) is we’re getting it inside more,” said Cornemann. “Those shots are way easier; everybody knows that.”

The Jacks used the strong second half shooting on their way to shooting over 50 percent from the field for the third straight game and only the third time all season they have shot better than 50 percent from the field.

Jill Young joined Cornemann and Warkenthien in double-digit scoring with 15 points, while Chazny Morris and Brianna Eldridge led the Kangaroos with 15 and 12 points respectively.

The Jacks conclude the first half of the Summit League schedule when they host North Dakota State on Jan. 24. Opening tip-off is slated for 7:05 at Frost Arena; KSFY will also be broadcasting the game.

#1.882039:3249426993.jpg:SDSU_vs_WI_womensbball_sab-0050.jpg:Macie Michelson (2) of SDSU drives into Western Illinois defender Ashley Lord (50) during a game on Jan. 12 at Frost Arena.:Stephen Brua