Senior guard Sloane Totta's game-high 23 points triggered the Fulton Lady Hornets' 65-35 North Central Missouri Conference romp over the Marshall Lady Owls on Monday night at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium.
"I felt that we played with confidence and everything clicked. We moved the ball well and when we're not stressed out or frustrated, we play really well," Fulton head coach TJ Quick said Tuesday afternoon. "This was a big game for us and hopefully we continue this momentum for the rest of the way."
The Lady Hornets (12-7, 7-1 NCMC) were in front 9-3 after the first quarter and stretched that advantage to 27-16 at halftime. Fulton then outscored Marshall 21-14 in the third quarter to widen its lead to 48-30.
"We started out the second half in a press and we were all over it," Quick said. "We had active hands, fast feet and forced four turnovers that got us eight points in the first minute.
"When you can come out of halftime like that, it's a huge momentum-changer; it got us motivated and we took off from there."
Senior forward NaShayla Brandt also recorded a double-double for the Lady Hornets with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while senior forward Crystal Tilson scored four points and pulled down six rebounds.
Kassidy Heying paced Marshall with 14 points.
The Lady Hornets remained in sole possession of first place in the NCMC with four games remaining.
"It's something that we're aware of," Quick said. "We are in the driver's seat and we get to decide our own fate - that's an exciting place to be. The remaining teams we have left are great teams and we're excited about the challenge, and we're ready to move forward."
Fulton hosts Southern Boone - ranked fifth in Class 3 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association - in a non-conference game at 4 p.m. Friday. The Lady Hornets were overpowered by the Lady Eagles 61-33 on Feb. 3 at the Southern Boone Classic.