Women's Basketball Falls at RCU on Cold Shooting Night

(Rochester Hills, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar women's basketball team never quite got the offensive juices going, as they fell on the road to the Rochester Christian Warriors 74-58 Saturday afternoon.

Rochester Christian would open the game on a 10-3 run, and after Samantha Hoelscher had a steal and a layup to cut the deficit to 10-5, the Warriors would make a three to extend their lead to eight points.  RCU would then score again to build a 16-7 lead on another made three pointer.  The Cougars would answer with six straight points on back to back baskets by Samantha Hoelscher, and a pair of free throws from Karissa Cochran, making it a one possession game.  A free throw and a jumper by the Warriors would give the hosts a six point advantage heading into the first quarter break.

Cleary would claw their way back into the game, as Izzy Dugal would connect on a pair of free throws to make it a 21-18 game early in the second quarter.  After trading points for the next few possessions, RCU took a six point lead heading into the quarter's media timeout.  After the timeout, the Warriors would score again to make it an eight point game.  The deficit grew to ten points with 1:00 left in the half, but Evalyn Cole answered with a layup, sending the teams into the half with a 34-26 score.

The Warriors would start the second half on the front foot, and built a fifteen point lead by the 6:45 mark of the quarter.  Two Makenna Jarratt three pointers and an Izzy Dugal jumper would help the Cougars get back to within eight points.  RCU would have an answer, rebuilding the double-digit lead, but a Samantha Hoelscher layup late in the quarter made it a 54-45 game with ten minutes to play.

Cleary would go to the free throw line to open the fourth quarter, making one of the two shot attempts, and making the score 54-46.  The Warriors would break down the Cougar defense, as Cleary's attempts to stay within reach were off the mark, allowing RCU to extend their lead to as many as nineteen points late in the game.  Cleary would cut into that lead, but would run out of time, as they suffered a 74-58 loss.

Cleary was held to 19/65 shooting (29.2%), and 6/22 from behind the arc in the game (21.4%).

Samantha Hoelscher had a team high 17 points and 14 rebounds, to go with 4 assists and 3 steals.  Izzy Dugal would add 12 points, while Jess Andrew had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The loss drops Cleary's record to 12-14 overall, 10-10 in the WHAC.  The Cougars will stay on the road for their next game, as they travel on Wednesday, February 18, when they take on the Defiance Yellow Jackets.  The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM.