When the Charger Women's Basketball team took the floor Saturday afternoon, they knew they were going to face one of the highest scoring teams in the country in Oakland Community College. As they attempted to slow down the Owls, I'm not sure they expected to eclipse the century mark so easily themselves in what turned out to be a 119-99 Charger win.
Oakland came into Saturday's contest averaging 92.4 points per game. At halftime, Marian Ancilla led 64-43, on pace to set offensive records and hold the Owls under their average. However, a rugged third quarter saw Oakland outscore the Chargers 33-20, cutting the lead to 8 headed into the final period.
The fourth quarter got a bit tense and saw a combination of four technical fouls, one flagrant foul, and nearly 45 minutes of length by the time it was decided. But somehow, the Chargers dug deep, got key stops, and knocked down 47 of their 62 free attempts to pull away for good and ensure the victory.
Freshman guard Annika Davis and Sophomore guard Nasiya Gause were incredible offensively, scoring 38 and 37 points, respectively. Davis was 9-16 from the field and 20-24 from the charity stripe, while Gause was 9-17 and 19-21 from the same areas. Additionally, Davis added 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals, while Gause posted a double-double with 15 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive, plus she picked up 3 steals.
Freshman forward Santana Eubanks posted another double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, with a whopping 10 caroms coming at the offensive end of the floor. She also handed out 5 assists. Freshman Jadyn Harris (12 points, 8 rebounds), Freshman Aaliyah Keil (11 points, 6 rebounds), and Sophomore De'Mour Watson (10 points, 6 rebounds) all scored in double figures as well in this high-scoring affair.
Like many of his players, Head Coach Ryan Gould sounded exhausted after this contest. "Oakland is a very unique team to play against. They sub constantly, they shoot a ton of 3s, and they like to pressure the ball everywhere on the floor. They want to get you to play their way and disrupt your normal rhythm, and I thought our ladies did a nice job of slowing tempo when we could and taking the best shots for us. Yes, we had turnovers, but in context we also had probably 30 or 40 more possessions than we are used to in a typical game."
The Chargers now get a week to prepare for the start of MCCAA play. They host #25 Southwestern Michigan on Saturday, January 11th, in a 1:00 p.m. start. This will pair with the Men's game for a conference double-header to begin the MCCAA season. Please come out and support the Chargers, if you are able!!
