With 11 days between games due to a postponement, the Marian University Ancilla women's basketball team finally got their MCCAA conference season started Wednesday evening, as they hosted Glen Oaks Community College. The divide was just a possession or two throughout, but the Chargers hung on to move to 1-0 in the MCCAA (8-5 overall), winning 50-49.
Whether it was turnovers or missed shots, the first quarter saw both teams struggle to produce offense early on, slowly picking up steam, and eventually finishing the period tied 9-9. The beginning of the second quarter saw much of the same, but finally both teams started to find a rhythm midway through the period, and it was a 23-21 game at the half, with MUAC on top.
The third quarter saw the Chargers come out with a defensive mindset, as they held Glen Oaks to a single point for nearly 5 minutes, but they couldn't separate on the scoreboard themselves due to some tough misses. All of that set up an entertaining fourth quarter, as both teams took turns with the lead, even tied on a couple of occasions, before the game came down to the wire.
Following a steal and layup by Freshman Nasiya Gause, plus individual free throws by Freshman De'Mour Watson and Sophomore Samaria Freeman, the Chargers were able to amass a 4-point lead at 50-46 with just seconds remaining. Following a foul, Viking guard Amanda Barber went to the line with 3.5 seconds left to shoot three shots. After missing the first and making the second, the score was 50-47. Barber then intentionally missed the third free toss, and Viking forward Lilyana Coleman grabbed the rebound. Instead of kicking it out to a 3-point shooter, she instinctively put it right back up and scored, making it 50-49, however the final buzzer sounded shortly after her release, as the Chargers escaped with the win.
MUAC Head Coach Ryan Gould on the win, "It's always good to get off to a winning start in conference season, and you definitely want to defend your home floor. A lot of our conference games are likely going to come down to the wire like this. I felt like we played with good effort, but we missed a lot of easy shots and free throws. However, we were able to take care of the ball over the last three quarters, and we did a great job on the boards against a team who came in averaging 13 more rebounds per game than their opponents."
Watson led the Chargers in scoring and rebounding once again with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Freeman posted 5 points and 6 rebounds, but she grabbed a huge offensive rebound late, plus she picked up three key steals in the game. Gause was responsible for 9 points and 6 rebounds, while Freshman Bella Mahan knocked down a huge 3-pointer and a pair of free throws in the 4th quarter.
Glen Oaks got a great effort from backup guard Kamryn Washington, who scored 15 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and handed out 6 assists off the bench. Guard Sarah DeKoning tossed in 8 points, including a pair of made 3-pointers, and Barber was next with 7 points, including two long bombs of her own.
The Chargers are back in action this Saturday as they head to Lansing Community College for another MCCAA matchup. Tip time is set for 1:00 p.m. ET, with the men's game against Lansing set to follow. Please come out and support the Chargers!!
