WINFIELD, Kan. – Stewart Field House, on the campus of Southwestern College, played host to the Moundbuilder women's basketball team's second Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) matchup of the 2022-23 campaign on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa University Braves. After an opening frame that did not seem particularly lopsided, Ottawa put their offense together nicely to score more than 20 points in every remaining period. Meanwhile, Southwestern struggled mightily from the field, scoring 15 points in just one quarter in the tilt en route to a 83-36 loss to the visitors.

Neither side was a world-beater in the first quarter, as Ottawa only made five buckets in the frame on 12 tries, but SC was just 3-of-14 from the floor for a total of seven points. The 13-7 Braves advantage after one seemed well within reach for the Builders.

Another dreadful showing in the second quarter on offense, however, would put Southwestern much further behind. A 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting clip in the second stanza amounted to just 10 Builder points in the frame, as the Braves countered with an 8-of-16 showing, adding 21 points to their total for the game. Ottawa had double the amount of points that SC did at the halfway point of the game, as the Lady Builders took a 34-17 deficit into the locker room.

The best quarter of the game from the Moundbuilders came in the third, when they made 5-of-12 (41.7%) shots for a total of 15 points on the stanza. They also hit 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc, but were matched by the Braves, who made eight shots on 17 tries for 22 points. A 5-of-6 free throw showing from Ottawa also helped their cause. The number of points needed to match the Braves bloated after the third, as the score sat at 56-32 with just one frame to go.

Southwestern was frustrated heavily in the fourth, making only one shot and one free throw for the entire period. The shot was a three-pointer from Emily McElroy and the shot from the charity stripe was by Hunter Garcia. Ottawa dominated with a 9-of-17 shooting clip in the last frame, scoring 27 points to blow open the final score to the 83-36 final that the game sported.

Macey Pond was the lone Moundbuilder in double-digits in scoring with 11. She was followed by Haven Matthews and Devyn Woods with six points, along with D'Shonda Hunt with five. As a squad, a 13-of-60 shooting performance put them at 21.7% for the game, scoring just the 36 points in the process.

Pond was the only Lady Builder with multiple assists, as she totaled two for the contest. Matthews and Woods were responsible for the two remaining dimes out of the team's four in the tilt.

Hunt and Madi Jones tied for the rebounding lead for SC, as they had five boards apiece. McElroy had four rebounds, while Pond, Matthews, Garcia, Christy Wiebe and Iyanna Brannon reeled in three backboards each.

The team did not have any blocks on this night, but did steal the orange four times. Pond had a pair of those steals, while Hunt and Garcia racked up the remaining two.

For such a young team, the struggles of this game can act a a building block moving forward, as the Lady Builders (3-5, 0-2 KCAC) will have to regain their focus for a midweek battle in Leavenworth, Kan. on Tuesday, November 22. The tilt against the University of Saint Mary Spires will be an opportunity for the squad to earn their first conference win of the 2022-23 conference slate.

--buildersports.com--