in a matchup originally scheduled for Monday night (but postponed due to weather), the Marian University Ancilla women's basketball team hosted Grace College & Seminary's Junior Varsity team Thursday night at Charger Arena, prevailing by a 63-56 margin. The Chargers (now 9-6 on the year) led for most of the game, but this matchup had its share of momentum swings.
The first quarter saw Grace jump out to an immediate lead behind the scoring of Kaydence Mellott, who had 9 early points. But MUAC answered back with a balanced effort early on, seeing four girls score in the opening period. In the second quarter, the Chargers were able to take the lead and extend it to 8-10 points on a couple of occasions. But down the stretch, the game got a little contentious, as both benches were warned for various reasons. Still, though, Marian Ancilla led 33-28 at the break.
The Lancers came out of the locker room looking to tie it, and they did cut into the halftime lead on multiple occasions. However, the Chargers started to look at Freshman De'Mour Watson in the post, and she was able to score a number of baskets around the rim, helping MUAC to a 50-40 advantage through 30 minutes. The Lancers weren't done, though, as they made several hustle plays and grabbed a handful of offensive rebounds to give them extra chances, and they made it a one-possession games a few times in the final stanza.
In the end, the Chargers were able to pick up a couple of critical steals and make some key free throws, as they polished off the non-conference win by a final of 63-56. For Head Coach Ryan Gould, "a win is a win, and you've gotta enjoy them all because they don't come easy. Having to reschedule with the weather dictating our week makes it tough, but this was just the first of five games over a ten-day span."
Watson led the way for the Chargers once again with her 28 points and 12 rebounds. However, Sophomore post Derriauna Woodson had her best game of her career by posting the coveted triple-double. The 6-footer scored 14 points and pulled down 11 boards, but she additionally managed to get her hands on an impressive 10 blocked shots. As for the play of Woodson, Gould commented, "I am so proud as to how far she has come these last two years. She has gotten stronger, more confident, and now she's contributing at both ends of the floor consistently." Freshman Nasiya Gause had another double-digit scoring outing with 14 points, plus she assisted on 5 shots, while Sophomore Samaria Freeman chipped in 6 points and 4 assists, plus she played good defense and all 40 minutes.
The Lancers were paced by Lily Moore with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Mellott also scored in double figures with 13 points. Kira Bertke topped the Lancers with 10 rebounds, while Josie Gusa led Grace with 5 assists on the evening.
The Chargers are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, January 27th, as they host conference rival Kalamazoo Valley. Tip time is set for 1:00 p.m. ET with the men's game to follow at approximately 3:00 p.m. ET. Please come out and support the Chargers!!
