The MU Ancilla Women's Basketball Team came in to their MCCAA opener riding a 3-game January winning streak and hoped to continue their strong play against MCCAA newcomer, Southwest Michigan College. The Roadrunners were playing their 1st conference game since the school restarted their athletic programs. During their 3-game winning streak, it has been the Chargers' defense that has been the key, holding their opponents to just 56 points per game. On Saturday, the Chargers took their defense to another level, holding the Roadrunners to a season-low 39 points.
MU Ancilla jumped out very quickly on both ends of the court, taking an early 8-point lead, a lead they would never relinquish in the game. In addition to their strong defense, MU Ancilla got off to a hot start on the offensive end, finishing the first quarter with an 18-11 win.
Head Coach Ryan Gould thought the quick start was a key to the win. "I was really impressed with our practices leading up to this game. The girls had a really focused couple of days and I think they felt very confident in their preparation. It was very important to get off to a fast start to build on their confidence and I cannot say enough about how well they played in that first quarter. Southwest Michigan throws multiple defenses at you and has a lot of talent on the offensive end as well. They are very well-coached. For us to handle those different defenses and make shots gave us a comfort level that carried us throughout the game."
MU Ancilla built on their 7-point lead after the first quarter, moving out to a 34-20 lead at the half, marking the 4th consecutive game where the Chargers held their opponents to 25 points or less in the first half. Both teams came out scoring in the 3rd quarter with Southwest Michigan cutting the 14 point lead down to 8 points before MU Ancilla finished the quarter strong, eventually leading 42-30 after the 3rd quarter.
The Chargers continued their strong defense in the 4th quarter, holding Southwest Michigan to just 9 points and stretching out their lead to 19 points. The final score of 58-39 was a bright spot for the Chargers, winners of their 4th straight game.
Coach Gould saw many positives in the win. "Every team wants to start out conference play with a win so for us to be 1-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference is very important. It is a great starting point for us as we continue to grow as a team. There were so many positives to take from this game. I thought Alexis German played her best game of the season and showed a lot of leadership which is what you want to see from a Sophomore who has been through conference play. When she makes shots, we can be very solid offensively. I know she can build off of this game. Jayci Allen and Kyra Duncan continued their consistent play. Those two show up every night for us and lead us in both scoring and rebounding while playing the full 40 minutes or close to it."
Gould also credited the defensive effort of Nicole Swain, Ellie Fausnaugh, Samaria Freeman, Derriauna Woodson, and Audrey Schmidt. "To hold a team like that to 39 points takes a total team effort. Nicole Swain is just such a warrior out there. She is our emotional leader and plays with such toughness on the defensive end. Samaria Freeman gave us a lot of versatility by being able to guard the perimeter and also their interior players. I thought Ellie, Derriauna, and Audrey did an outstanding job rotating in on all of their post players. When we defend as we did today, we have a chance to compete for a win most days."
With the win, the Chargers move to 12-4 on the season and 1-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference. They will return to action on Wednesday, January 18th when they travel to play Glen Oaks at 5:30 PM.