GILLETTE, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team captured their fourth straight win and seventh on the season with an impressive win over a scrappy Dawson Community College team on Friday in the first day of the 3-day Border Wars Classic in Gillette, Wyoming.

            The Cougars never trailed in the contest with just two ties as WNCC registered the 69-55 win.

            WNCC put three players in double figures in the win against the Montana 2-year college. Mackenzie Joseph led the way with 15 points followed by Jayla Owen with 13, and Shiho Isono with 12. Bre Fowler had a near double-figure game with nine points.

            Joseph opened the scoring in the contest as she buried a 3-pointer. Dawson answered with a bucket, but the Cougars went up 8-2 on a trey by Fowler and a bucket by Isono. Dawson tied the game at nine and then later at 11, but Isono had a steal and bucket to put WNCC up 13-11 followed by a bucket by Ola Duda for a 15-11 lead. Dawson got a late 3-pointer to trail after one period 15-14.

            The second quarter was all WNCC as the Cougars outscored Dawson 20-11. Dawson tied the game at 16, but WNCC got buckets by Duda and Mia Jaye Sarkodee-Adoo for a 20-16 lead. The Cougars went up by six on several occasions and then hit the double-digit mark with a 35-24 lead after an old-fashioned 3-point play from Joseph. WNCC led at halftime 35-25.

            The second half saw the Cougars go up 42-29 on an Owen bucket and pushed the lead to 16, 48-32 on buckets by Owen, Fowler, and Yara Garcia. The Cougars led 52-39 after the period.

            Dawson cut the lead to 56-44 early in the fourth, but the Cougars went on a 7-0 run that included two buckets by Isono and a 3-pointer by Joseph. WNCC went up by 19 at 69-50 with 42.8 seconds to play on two Isono free throws before Dawson scored the final five points for the 69-55 final.

            WNCC will play Saturday in the Border Wars when they take on Miles Community College and then wrap up the tourney on Sunday against Williston State.

 Dawson                14 11 14 16 – 55
WNCC (7-3)         15 20 19 15 – 69
WNCC
Mackenzie Joseph 15, Jayla Owen 13, Shiho Isono 12, Bre Fowler 9, Mia Jaye Skarodee-Adoo 8, Yara Garcia 7, Ola Duda 5.