Mullinnix sparks No. 2 Kirkwood women
Haley Mullinnix can chew gum and play basketball at the same time.
She did both very well for the Kirkwood Eagles Saturday afternoon on her 19th birthday.
Mullinnix moved up in the rotation and scored a career-best 15 points as the second-ranked Eagles spanked Southwestern, 82-44, in an ICCAC conference game at Johnson Hall.
Tay Wilson, Kirkwood's top point guard, missed Saturday's contest due to a two-game suspension for violating team rules. That meant Niaja Taylor moved into the starting lineup and Mullinnix became the backup point guard for the first time this season.
She delivered.
Mullinnix, a 5-foot-5 freshman from West Branch, made all six of her shots from the field, including three straight 3-pointers in the first half to steer Kirkwood in the right direction after a slow start.
She also collected two assists, one rebound and one steal during 16 minutes on the floor.