PITTSBURG, KS -- The SBU Lady Bearcats are off to a great start in their 2006-07 season, with a record of 2-0. After defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State 79-76 Friday night, they went on to pick up another victory Saturday, beating the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 78–65, in their second game at the Pitt State Chatter's Roundball Classic.

Less than four minutes into the game, SBU grabbed hold of the game when they took the lead at 5-4. They would not trail for the rest of the game. The Lady Bearcats held a 36-30 lead as they went into the locker room at halftime. They came out strong in the second half to increase their lead, behind big shots from the sophomore trio of Cortney Shewmaker, Leslie Hanchey and Traci Bybee. At the 14:33 mark, SBU held a 20-point advantage over their opponents.

The scoring was balanced within the team with four players reaching double figures. Cortney Shewmaker led the scoring with 15 points, closely followed by freshman Rachel Graves and Traci Bybee, both with 13. Courtney Creed added 12 points. Bybee picked up 10 of her 13 points in the second half. Graves also dished out 6 assists and pulled down 6 boards to lead SBU.

After the game, coach Jim Middleton was happy with his team’s performance. He said "the girls adjusted well defensively to some unusual offenses." He added that his team played good defense, especially on UMSL's top player, Jennifer Martin. She was UMSL’s leading scorer last season, but was held to only 5 points by the Lady 'Cats in the game.

The Lady 'Cats will look to continue their winning ways when they host Rockhurst in their home opener. Tipoff is at 6.00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21 in the Meyer Sports Center.

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