WINFIELD, Kan. – On Monday night inside Stewart Field House, the Southwestern College women's basketball squad played host to the Spires of the University of Saint Mary. In the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) tilt, the Builders hung tight with the Spires for the first half of the battle, trailing by only four points at the break. Unfortunately, a stellar third quarter from USM extended that lead to 21 heading into the last stanza. After 40 minutes, Southwestern fell 68-45 to the Spires in Winfield.

"We expected it to be a tough matchup tonight against Saint Mary after a quick turnaround from Saturday's game on the road," stated head coach Whitney Corley. "We played a good first half, but weren't able to sustain momentum after halftime," she continued. "We battled hard at Ottawa on Saturday, and with a short rotation with injuries to Macey Pond and Devyn Woods, we started to run out of gas in the second half. We missed Haven Matthews' hot shooting today, and Saint Mary did a good job of pressuring us to keep us out of rhythm."

An opening quarter that saw the Moundbuilders drain 50% (6-of-12) of their shots would build confidence for SC as the game moved forward. Saint Mary struggled mightily to hit shots, having finished the opening frame just 6-of-16 from the field. The Spires would be able to find a way to take the lead into the second quarter, though, having made one more three-pointer than the Builders did. The 14-13 deficit was a more than manageable one for Southwestern.

The next frame was a step back offensively for both teams, as neither side was able to connect on more than four shots in the period. Saint Mary's 4-of-18 clip in the quarter was just an eyelash better than the Moundbuilders' 3-of-15 showing. Both of those percentages ended up in the 20's. The Spires attempted eight three-point bombs, but they could only convert on one of those tries, contributing to their shooting woes. It ended up being a 12-9 quarter in the Spires' favor, as they led the Builders by four points at halftime, 26-22.

In a very similar fashion to Saturday's loss at Ottawa, Southwestern allowed their opponents to pull away in the third stanza. Saint Mary drilled 10-of-20 from the field, which was by far their best showing in a quarter during this tilt, and held the Builders to only 3-of-11 shooting on offense. The Spires scored 28 points, which was more than double their total amount of 26 over the previous two quarters. Additionally, a poor 5-of-12 showing at the free-throw line in the third quarter put the Builders further in the hole. After the nightmarish 28-11 third frame, Southwestern trailed by 21 points at 54-33.

Both sides ended up making five shots in the final quarter, with Saint Mary hitting a pair of threes to give them a two-point advantage over the 10 minutes. Southwestern went 5-of-15 from the floor in the fourth, while keeping USM to just 5-of-17. After all was said and done, the Moundbuilders fell victim to the Spires by the final tally of 68-45.

Airalyn Frame managed to lead Southwestern in points against the Spires, pouring in 4-of-6 from the field and posting an 11-point night. She made her lone attempt from long range, as well. Denisha Anderson was the other Moundbuilder to score double-digits, tallying 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Finally, D'Shonda Hunt had a good night on offense, with nine points on 4-of-9 from the field.

Anderson was Southwestern's leader in assists, having dished out a pair of dimes. Hunt, Haven Matthews, Heather Chiesi and Hunter Garcia were responsible for the other four Builder assists.

Once again, Anderson provided a great rebounding presence for a guard her size. She led SC with seven rebounds, and was followed by Madi Jones, who had five. Frame and Hunt contributed four boards each to the cause, and Matthews hauled in three backboards. Kimberly Duhon and Emily McElroy had two rebounds each, as well.

"Kimberly Duhon gave us a nice spark off the bench," Corley opined, "and as she continues to get more comfortable, she will give a good change of tempo. Her ability to get to the rim will start to open up more kick-out 3s for us."

Southwestern had a total of nine steals in the battle, with Frame tallying three of those. Hunt added a pair, while Anderson, Matthews, Chiesi and Garcia were responsible for one of the remaining four, apiece. Jones was credited with the Moundbuilders' lone block on the evening.

"D'Shonda Hunt and Madi Jones were solid defensively in the paint for us," stated Corley, "but both of them had a tough time finishing through contact today. We will need to get them more opportunities in the paint against Sterling on Thursday."

Two more KCAC battles stand ahead of the Lady Builders (4-17, 1-14 KCAC) this week, as they will come against extremely difficult competition. Southwestern will battle No. 22-ranked Sterling College in Sterling, Kan. on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m., and will follow that up with a home bout against the Bluejays of Tabor College on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. the two matchups will end competition in the month of January for the Builders as they look for win number two on the conference slate.

--buildersports.com--