The William Jewell women's basketball team overcame a 14 point first half deficit to pull within five late in the fourth quarter but dropped their first Great Lakes Valley Conference contest of the season at Rockhurst 70-61. Jewell now stands at 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the GLVC. Rockhurst moves to 7-2 and 3-0 in conference play.
The first half saw the Cardinals shoot a dismal 22 percent from the floor including just 20 percent from behind the three point line. Meanwhile the Hawks used a 38 percent clip to open a 31-21 lead at the break.
Following the intermission, Jewell went on a quick 6-0 run keyed by
Katie Finn's three point shot just 24 seconds into the half to pull Jewell within 31-27. Rockhurst star Mary Dineen countered with a personal 5-0 run to propel the Hawks back on top by a margin of 41-29. With 2:54 remaining in the third quarter
Kayla Harrell hit a three point shot but pull the Cards within 13 and closed the quarter trailing by just ten.
Rockhurst looked like they were going to run away with the game as Marisa Lowe hit back-to-back three pointers to give the Hawks a 13 point advantage with just over five minutes to play, before
Hayden Butler recorded two buckets and helped to pull Jewell to their closest margin since the first quarter at 60-55. Despite the rally, Jewell was forced to foul and the Hawks took advantage, hitting eight free throws over the final 60 seconds to pull away for the 70-61 win.
Overall, Jewell struggled offensively to the tune of a 32 percent shooting clip compared to 42 percent by the Hawks. The Cardinals made just 14 of 23 free throws on the night and were out-rebounded 43-35, despite pulling down 15 offensive boards. The Cards did force 18 turnovers but were only able to turn that into 11 points.
Despite a poor shooting night, senior
Maddie Nelson posted a double-double of 16 points and ten rebounds, to go along with five assists and three steals. Harrell (11), Finn (10), and
Chris Keys (11) were also in double-figures for Jewell.
The Cardinals will step out of GLVC play until after the winter break as they will travel to Newman University on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tip, followed by dates with Avila and Central Missouri prior the holidays.
