OTTAWA, Kan. – On Saturday in Ottawa, Kan., the Southwestern College women's basketball squad battled the homestanding Braves of Ottawa University with several players on the shelf due to injury. After another injury to a crucial member of the squad in the first quarter, the Lady Builders were limited to just eight players available in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) tilt. Amazingly, the team stayed competitive for the majority of the bout, falling by a final tally of 68-53.

An evenly played opening quarter saw Southwestern shoot nearly 50% at 6-of-13, while Ottawa also hit six of their shots, but heaved a total of 16 attempts. Neither side had a larger lead than four points in the first frame, as the two squads looked to be mirror images of each other. With just 20 seconds left in the quarter, Devyn Woods exited the game with an apparent lower body injury, reducing the number of available SC players in the road battle to eight with three quarters to go. A 17-16 score for the Braves would lead into the second quarter.

Competitive quarters would continue to be played, starting with the second. Ottawa was able to stretch their lead to 29-22 with 1:02 left in the frame, but Southwestern snagged a layup to end the quarter with just a five-point deficit. Unfortunately, turnovers began to pile up for SC in the quarter, as they ended the period with 10 giveaways. Those turnovers led to just eight shots being taken by the Builders overall. They hit half of their shots, putting up eight second-quarter points, but allowed 12 points to the Braves. Ottawa only shot 6-of-17 from the field in the frame, and they failed to hit a three-point shot, allowing the Lady Builders to remain on the periphery. The score was 29-24 entering the break.

Ottawa finally pulled away a bit in the third quarter, while leaning on the play of their posts on offense. The squad went 10-of-21 in the second-to-last period of play, and only hit a single three. Southwestern's 5-of-12 showing from the field was not bad by any stretch, but the increased Braves efficiency, along with the Builders' 11 turnovers in the period, helped OU distance themselves to a lead as large as 16 points at 49-33. Then, though, the Lady Builders finished on a 6-2 stretch to enter the final frame with an 11-point deficit at 51-39.

In the fourth quarter, Southwestern was only able to muster seven shots, but made four of them. They went 5-of-8 at the free-throw line, and scored 14 total points. They also turned the orange over on nine occasions. Ottawa was not particularly effective offensively, though they scored 17 points. Their 4-of-12 performance from the field was below their game average, but they did hit seven free throws in the period. The Braves lengthened their lead to 15 points at the game's final buzzer, as SC fell by a final score of 68-53 on Saturday.

Three of Southwestern's starters were able to put up double-digit points in the tilt, as Haven Matthews led the way with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 3-of-6 from downtown. She was followed by D'Shonda Hunt, who posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. While shooting 4-of-7 from the floor in the battle, Hunt also sunk four free throws to reach her 12-point mark. Heather Chiesi was also involved heavily on offense, scoring 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. She made three free throws, as well.

Denisha Anderson was more of a facilitator in this battle, as she led the squad with four dimes. She was the only SC player with more than two assists, and Chiesi was the only remaining Lady Builder with two distributions.

Hunt's 11 rebounds were a game-high mark, as both Matthews and Chiesi contributed five backboards to the Moundbuilder glass-cleaning efforts. Anderson and Emily McElroy had three rebounds, while Madi Jones added a pair in 13 bench minutes.

Hunt was also active as a defender, swiping the ball three times from ball handlers on the Ottawa side. Matthews and Jones had two steals apiece, and Anderson was responsible for the remaining one of eight for Southwestern overall. Jones and Airalyn Frame were able to block a single shot each, which equaled the two total shots that SC would reject.

With a busy week ahead, the Lady Builders (4-16, 1-13 KCAC) will have to lean upon some players who have not seen as much action this season with several injuries to manage. Three more games in the KCAC will be played over the course of the next seven days by Southwestern, as they begin that stretch by hosting the University of Saint Mary Spires on Monday, Jan. 23 inside Stewart Field House at 5 p.m. The matchup precedes a road battle at No. 22-ranked Sterling College on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m., and another home tilt against the Tabor College Bluejays on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m.

--buildersports.com--