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Local Sports from The CourierFriday, November 30, 2012College basketball: UF women pull away from LakersBy BRIAN LESTER Staff Writer Midway through the second half of the University of Findlay's women's basketball team's game against Lake Superior State on Thursday night, the Oilers were in danger of losing their grip on momentum. The Lakers had trimmed UF's commanding lead to 10 points and were on the brink of a remarkable comeback. But the Oilers responded behind good defense, solid rebounding and clutch shots to fuel a 15-4 run and pull away for a 71-51 victory in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener Thursday at Croy Gym. UF (3-0, 1-0 GLIAC) led 37-18 at halftime but watched as the Lakers (1-4, 0-1) chipped away at the lead and got their deficit down to 48-38 on a 3-pointer by Megan Manninen. "You can't take any possessions off in the GLIAC, and this was the first time we had been tested this season," UF head coach Kate Cummings said. "We have to learn to play hard for 40 minutes." UF had won its first two games easily, scoring 90 both times, but this nigh was different as the Lakers refused to back down even after struggling through a first half in which they shot only 27.6 percent from the field and missed all eight of their 3-point attempts. The Oilers were able to stay on top, though, behind 17 points from former Riverdale standout Kayla Brown and 11 points out of Tai Dotson. Brown shot 7-of-10 from the floor and has scored in double figures in her first three games of the year. Kaleigh Kenny and Margaret Wuebker added 9 points apiece as UF shot 43.4 percent (25-of-53) from the field.The Oilers held a 42-34 edge on the boards. Both teams turned the ball over 21 times. The Lakers, who have lost four consecutive games, shot 33.8 percent (22-of-65) from the field and were led by the 17-point performance of Kandace Crittendon. Maria Blazejewski came in averaging 20.5 points per game but was held to 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. She grabbed six rebounds. Slowing her down was a key to success for the Oilers, who are 3-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. "We wanted to limit her touches and take away her chances to get rebounds," Cummings said. "I thought we did a good job of defending her tonight." Part of the Oilers' game plan was to force the Lakers to shoot from the outside. LSSU came in shooting just 25.8 percent from 3-point range and went 1-of-18 from beyond the arc against UF. "We wanted them to shoot 3-pointers. We knew it wasn't one of our strengths. It worked out." The Oilers will return to action on Saturday when they host Northwood at 3 p.m. to cap their opening week of conference play. Lake Superior (1-4) Blazejewski 5-9 4-4 14, Vanes 1-2 0-0 2, Crittendon 8-16 1-1 17, Greene 2-8 0-0 4, Trammell 1-4 0-0 2, Gaedke 2-6 0-0 4, Manninen 1-7 0-0 4, Holsworth 0-6 0-0 0, Morrow 0-2 1-2 1, LaCross 2-5 0-0 4. TOTALS: 22-65 6-7--51. Findlay (3-0) Wuebker 3-6 2-3 9, Dotson 5-13 1-2 11, Brown 7-10 2-2 17, Beasley 0-1 2-4 2, Andrews 0-2 1-2 1, Maggert 1-1 0-0 2, Kenny 3-11 3-3 9, Klausing 0-1 0-0 0, Elam 0-0 5-6 5, Kessler 1-2 2-2 4, Grevenkamp 1-2 2-2 5, Lewis 1-2 2-2 4, Kras 1-2 0-0 2. TOTALS: 23-53 22-28--71. HALFTIME: Findlay, 37-18 3-Point GOALS: Lake Superior 1-18 (Blazejewski 0-1, Crittendon 0-1, Trammell 0-3, Gaedke 0-2, Manninen 1-7, Holsworth 0-4). Findlay 3-13 (Wuebker 1-3, Dotson 0-1, Brown 1-3, Andrews 0-1, Kenny 0-4, Grevenkamp 1-1). rebounds: Lake Superior 34; Findlay 42 (Kenny 7). ASSISTS: Lake Superior 12 (Crittendon 5); Findaly 12 (Maggert 3). STEALS: Lake Superior 9 (Manninen & Crittendon 2); Findlay 13 (Brown, Kessler & Grevenkamp 3). BLOCKS: Lake Superior 7 (Vanes & LaCross 2); Findlay 2. TURNOVERS: Lake Superior 21; Findlay 21. TOTAL FOULS: Lake Superior 21; Findlay 17. FOULED OUT: Lake Superior (Trammell): Findlay, none. Lester, 419-422-5151 brianlester@thecourier.com Subscribe to The Courier. |
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