After losing against Elms College, Women’s Basketball struggled again in their home return, falling to the Rivier Raiders 82-57.
After fighting things close through the early minutes, the Raiders’ stifling press and halfcourt defense allowed them to open up an 18-9 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter. The Lasers pushed back within seven points to end the quarter but Rivier rebuilt their lead to 16 midway through the second quarter. Women’s Basketball finished the half down 12 but turned the ball over 15 times, nine in the second quarter.
“For us right now, we've acknowledged that we're a little bit more turnover prone than some other teams. So I can see that could be a scout thing for other teams to come in and press us,” Head Coach Kelley Sundberg said. “We're just working on skill development, to be able to handle a press and be able to break it down whether it's positioning, how to pass properly, all of that.”
First-year guard Shirle Major starred for the Lasers in the first half, scoring 10 of their 27 points in the first half. Major also grabbed five boards. This offensive production came while making just one of her five three-point attempts.
“She's an awesome scorer for us. And she's able to be really efficient that way, which is awesome to see,” Sundberg said. “She's got something different inside of her as a player. And I'm excited to get to keep working with her for the four years.”
The Lasers struggled to gain footing in the second half, fighting to stay within 20 points. They finally conceded when Raider Hannah Muchemore hit a layup with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Major struggled to score in the second half, putting up just two more, finishing with 14 points on 6-15 shooting.
“We tried to mix it up a little bit offensively, got some other people in there. I think it's more so of personnel offense and things that we're running,” Sundberg said.
Replacing her production were first-year guard Brenna Graber and sophomore guard Juju Nealy. Graber and Nealy combined for 12 points in the second half as Rivier sealed their 25-point victory.
“My teammates look for me and they put themselves in positions to help me score, but I want to be able to do the same for my teammates too,” Major said. “The chemistry between us is growing and getting better and we're actually finding ways to make each other better.”
The Lasers fall to 4-16 on the season with the loss to Rivier. They travel to Anna Maria College on Saturday for an afternoon matchup.
“Whether we win every single game or lose every single game, they’ve got to come back every single day, practice their game and get better each day,” Sundberg said.
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