The H.D. Woodson offense's biggest problem was a simple one -- the Western defense.
No. 1 Western repeatedly disrupted the H.D. Woodson offense and forced 30 turnovers, and the host Doves used 27 points from Chanel Wright to open their season with an 81-60 victory over the Warriors in a Greater Baltimore Women's Basketball Mixer first-round game.
The tournament continues at the College of Notre Dame with three games today and five games tomorrow.
Western gave Woodson (1-1), ranked fifth by the Washington Post, fits with its pressure defense. The Doves threw a bunch of different looks at the taller Warriors, but pressure on the ball stayed constant.
"We wanted to pressure the ball whenever we could," said Western coach Breezy Bishop, whose team is ranked 14th nationally by USA Today. "I thought they were shaky at guard, and I thought it was just a matter of time until we picked them apart."
And they did it early. The Doves often made it difficult for Woodson to get off a shot. During one first-quarter stretch, Woodson could find only four shots in four minutes as it repeatedly turned the ball over.
Western used the defense to break the game open early. The Doves forced nine first-quarter turnovers and converted some of them into easy baskets as they went on an 18-1 run for a 22-5 lead late in the quarter.
Wright was a big factor early. The North Carolina-bound senior -- who finished with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists -- scored 16 points in the first half to pace the Doves.
Wright got a lot of her points from the turnovers. Western used a matchup zone early in the game. From that, the Doves often jumped out to trap the Woodson ballhandlers in the corners or against the sidelines. The Doves did much of the same in the second half, but worked out of a man-to-man there.
In addition to Wright, Kimberly Smith, Tesha Tinsley and Danielle Davis turned in strong performances on defense. Tinsley (10 points) made sparked the transition game in the first half with several good passes and Smith (15 points) did the same off the bench in the second half while Davis helped force turnovers the entire game.
When Smith entered in the third quarter, she gave the Doves a lift. Woodson never found a way to stop Smith's driving.
"There were a lot of openings," said Smith. "They seemed a little frustrated. They seemed to let me go sometimes."
Karlita Washington was the only Woodson player to get going on offense. The 5-foot-8 sophomore hit from long range all night and finished with 21 points, but she got little help.
"They were a little too quick for us," said Woodson coach Bob Headen. "This is our second game, and we haven't played
anyone that quick."
Prospect Hall of Frederick topped IND, 63-55, in the first game, and Bullis from Potomac held Mercy to only 12 baskets in a 54-37 victory.