The MU Ancilla Women's Basketball team returned to action late last week after a 15-day layoff in between games. While it took some time to shake the rust off, the Chargers played just well enough to come out with 2 wins. The two wins moved the Chargers to 10-4 overall on the season.
MU Ancilla vs. Defiance College JV
The Chargers hit the road to take on Defiance College to start off their busy month of January and came away with a 55-49 win over a solid Yellowjacket team. MU Ancilla jumped out very quickly on the strength of some hot 3-point shooting and and very strong defense led 18-10 after the 1st quarter. The Charger defense had a dominant 2nd quarter, holding Defiance to just 9 points which led to a 31-19 lead at the halftime break.
The Yellowjackets came out fast in the 3rd quarter, cutting a 12-point deficit down to 2 before the Chargers finished the quarter on a 5 on run to lead 40-33 heading in to the 4th quarter. The 4th quarter saw Defiance grab their first and only lead of the game at 43-42 on the strength of a 10-2 run to start the quarter. MU Ancilla responded very quickly to regain control of the game, finishing up with some great defense and timely shooting to take the 55-49 win.
Coach Gould was pleased with his team's defensive effort coming off of the long break. "I was really pleased with how we guarded in the first half, holding a solid Defiance team to just 19 points. They put out lineups with really good size and had shooters to go with it so I was happy to see us locked in on the defensive end of the court. We rebounded very well, limiting them to one shot, which is a big thing for us. In the 2nd half, we made some key plays on both ends of the court to come away with the win. I was also pleased to see us respond when Defiance took the lead. It would have been easy to fall apart there and our girls did not do that."
Jayci Allen and Kyra Duncan picked up right where they left off on the offensive end, with each scoring 16 points to lead the offense. Allen added 11 rebounds to lead the effort on the boards. Alexis German and Nicole Swain each added 8 points on the night for the Chargers who moved to 9-4 on the season.
MU Ancilla vs. Henry Ford
The Chargers returned to action on Saturday as they hosted Henry Ford in a cross-division game and held on late for a 63-58 win. Much like on Thursday at Defiance, MU Ancilla jumped out quickly against Henry Ford as they took a 16-2 lead in the first 5 minutes of the game. The Chargers rode that momentum through the first half and took a commanding 35-17 lead at the break. It was the second consecutive game where MU Ancilla held their opponent under 20 points in the first half.
It was Henry Ford who came out of the locker room swinging with full-court pressure and more of an attacking offense. They cut in to the lead over the course of the 3rd quarter and in to the 4th quarter, eventually tying the game at 58 with 2 minutes to go. It was MU Ancilla who responded out of a timeout. Jayci Allen knocked down a 3-point shot off a set play. Following a defensive stop, Kyra Duncan scored in transition to give the Chargers a 63-58 lead. Henry Ford was unable to score on their last two possessions as the Chargers held on to win.
Coach Gould was pleased with his team's start and also finish to the game but saw plenty of things to work on in the middle. "Credit to Henry Ford and their coaching staff. Those girls play very hard and their coaches do a great job of encouraging them as well as playing to their strengths. It is a credit to them in a tough season that they are playing as hard as they are and getting better. I was very pleased with how strongly the girls came out in the first quarter where we jumped out 16-2. It seemed at that point we let off the gas a little and assumed the game was over. The 2nd half was something we will have to quickly learn from."
Gould went on to credit the players for how they responded in the last two minutes. "I am definitely proud of how the kids made plays down the stretch. We executed a zone set to get Jayci Allen a wide open shot that she knocked down. Alexis German made a great read and hit her with a skip pass to get that shot. We followed up with a defensive stop and Kyra got to the rim in transition which is where she excels. Ellie Fausnaugh was incredible today. She joined us late after playing soccer in the fall and has worked incredibly hard from day one to get herself up to speed with our team. For her to score 19 points and grab 11 rebounds is a testament to that hard work."
Fausnaugh led with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Jayci Allen had another double-double, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
With the win, the Chargers move to 10-4 on the season. They will return to action on Thursday with one more non-conference game against the Bethel University JV before hosting Southwest Michigan College on Saturday in the MCCAA opener for both teams.
