The Dominican University women's basketball team cruised to a 66-30 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) win on Wednesday night over the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks after a 14-day break for the Stars.  With the win Stars improve to 7-4 on the season and 3-3 in NACC play.
 
After the Scarlet Hawks went up 7-5 with 4:27 to play in the first quarter, the Stars went on an 11-0 run to close the quarter with Amari Stafford knocking down a trio of threes on the run.  Dominican extended the lead throughout the second quarter, opening a 24-point, 39-15, lead when Stafford connected on another three, this time with four seconds remaining in the half.
 
Illinois Tech cut two points off the lead in the third quarter before the Stars pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the host Scarlet Hawks 19-5 over the final ten minutes.
 
"It was really nice getting back on the court and competing again," said Amanda Parker, the Stars' first-year head coach. "Amari really got our team going early, hitting six threes in the first half. The team really fed off of her energy."
 
"I thought we really played well as a team," continued Parker, "and did a great job sharing the ball. We had assists on 21 of our 26 baskets.  We changed up our defenses a lot and put people in different places but the focus was great. It's nice to get back in the win column…hopefully this is a step back in the right direction."
 
Stafford scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including 7-for-12 from three. The junior added five assists and five boards in 29 minutes.  Stephenee Huggans scored 13 points off the Dominican bench, scoring seven in the Stars' 19-point fourth quarter, while Alisha Markley added ten points in the winning effort.
 
The Stars continue to navigate the NACC on Saturday, traveling to Concordia University Chicago for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff against the Cougars.