YORK, Neb. – On Wednesday evening, the Southwestern College women's basketball squad made their longest road trip of the campaign to York, Neb., where they traveled only seven players due to injuries and other factors. The lack of numbers proved to be fatal for the Lady Builders, as the York University Panthers pulled away in the second half for a 33-point win, 85-52.

"I'm proud of our group for their effort and continuing to show up and compete," said head coach Whitney Corley. "We were shorthanded again as we work through injuries and such, so we expected it to be a tough battle."

The first of four quarters in this Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) battle was not as lopsided as it looked statistically, as SC jumped out to an early advantage while the first unit for the Panthers struggled mightily. Then, a full line change for York yielded quick dividends, as they finished the period on a 17-7 run after the Builders held a 3-0 lead through several possessions. Still, the Moundbuilders only trailed by seven points after 10 minutes. The Panthers nailed 8-of-15 from the field after a slow 0-of-3 start with a turnover. A rough 3-of-14 shooting line for the Builders could not match the Panther output, but four made free throws helped keep them within striking distance at 17-10 in the home squad's favor.

Turnovers and allowed offensive rebounds were the story for SC in the stanza preceding halftime, as they coughed up the orange eight times in the period while allowing seven offensive rebounds to York. The Panthers were afforded 22 shot attempts in the quarter, but only hit six of them, while a pair of those were threes. They scored 16 points in the frame, while holding Southwestern to just 12 shots attempted and five makes. The fact that York took 10 more shots than SC and only made one additional basket signals a missed opportunity for the Moundbuilders to keep pace in the game. They trailed 33-22 after the first half.

Continual mistakes and second-chance opportunities sunk the Builder effort in the second half, as the third quarter consisted of an 8-of-19 showing from York while Southwestern hit just 3-of-8. A 21-11 score over the course of the third set of 10 minutes in the battle in favor of the home team stretched their advantage over SC to 21 points at 54-33 with one period to go.

Each team scored the game-high point total for a single period in the fourth, as the Panthers were prolific with a 12-of-24 showing. Southwestern made 5-of-17, but benefitted from eight made free throws on 12 tries in the final act. The York scoring line was more than enough to earn them the win by a final score of 85-52, as they scored 31 points in the last quarter against the Moundbuilders.

"Our team fought hard in the first half, but we couldn't answer York's 3rd quarter push," continued Corley. "We matched up well against two of their top scorers and limited them, but credit York for having more players step up and make shots for their team."

Three Lady Builders finished in double-figures in the tilt, as D'Shonda Hunt led the way with 16 points on a 4-of-10 line from the field. She also hit an impressive 8-of-10 from the free-throw stripe to tally half of her points. Denisha Anderson (14 PTS, 5-of-13) and Airalyn Frame (13 PTS, 5-of-11) were the other two Moundbuilders with nice nights scoring the rock.

"We got a good contribution from D'Shonda with another double-double," declared Corley. "She's been consistent for us to score when we get the ball inside to her. Denisha and Airalyn are building some consistency scoring, so now we have to work more to defend as a team."

Frame and Haven Matthews tied for the team-lead in assists, with two apiece. The remaining dime was tallied by Hunt, as just five assists were racked up by Southwestern in the battle.

Hunt was able to complete a double-double in the loss, grabbing 12 rebounds to go with her 16 points. She had 10 of those backboards on the defensive end of the floor. Frame had seven rebounds, while Matthews added four, and both Anderson and Madi Jones snagged three.

Three Anderson steals led the way for Southwestern on defense, while Matthews had two. The trio of Hunt, Frame and Heather Chiesi swiped one each.

Just four tilts remain on the slate for Southwestern (4-20, 1-17 KCAC), and they will get a much-needed rest with one full week off before their next KCAC game against the McPherson College Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. in McPherson, Kan. The break prior to that matchup will be appreciated by the squad as they try to get a few of their injured players back.

--buildersports.com--