HONOLULU – A comeback bid fell short as the No. 21 Carroll College women's basketball rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead before falling to NAIA DII No. 1 Saint Xavier 52-55 in the final game of the Surf N' Hoop Classic.
The Saints (7-4, 1-1) struggled to find the basket in the first half, shooting just 8-27 (29.6 percent) before hitting nearly half of their shots in the second half going 10-21 (47.6 percent).
Bailey Pasta hit a three-pointer on Carroll's first possession, but Saint Xavier (11-1, 7-0 Chicagoland) answered with a 10-0 run over the next seven minutes. The Cougars led 16-8 after the first frame.
Carroll cut the lead to 21-14 with 5:55 left in the second quarter, but Saint Xavier led 34-20 at the break.
"I thought we had really good shots in the first half," head coach
Rachelle Sayers said. "We missed five layups and missed some open threes. We put ourselves in good position but just missed shots. We were down 14 going into the break. I am glad we responded the second half because that is the type of team that can run away from you."
The Saints needed a jump start in the second, they found it in Christine Denny. The freshman hit Carroll's first three baskets to spark an 8-2 run to start the second half.
The Saints cut the lead to 40-35 at the quarter and kept the pressure on the Cougars. Brittney Johnson buried a three-pointer with 5:45 left the game, but the Cougars answered with a jumper from the defending NAIA DII Player of the Year in Kara Krolicki.
The two teams traded buckets over the final few minutes. Hannah Dean was fouled hard with 1:49 remaining in the game and was injured, so she sat crunch time with her team down just two points.
Michaela Dowdy had a good look to take the lead with 26 seconds remaining, but the shot rimmed out. Pasta put up a contested shot at the buzzer, but it fell short, and the Cougars survived.
"We had our chances over the final few of minutes," Head coach
Rachelle Sayers said. "Hannah going out really hurt us. Dowdy had a really good look to give us a lead, but it just didn't fall. That is a shot she is going to make most of the time."
The Saints closed the game at 18-48 (37.5 percent) from the field and 4-13 (30.8 percent) from the three-point line. Denny scored a team-high 17 points on 7-7 shooting from the field. Pasta added 10. Hannah Dean tallied a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Cougars were 20-57 (35.1 percent) from the field, including 3-11 (27.3 percent) from the three-point line. Brittany Collins scored 19 points. Krolicki scored 13, well short of her 22 points per game.
"Christine Denny had an unbelievable game. She competed. She took it hard to the hole a couple of times. I thought Brittney Johnson did a great job on Krolicki the returning player of the year."
Carroll returns home for two final non-conference games on Dec. 29 against the University of Calgary and Dec. 30 against the University of Lethbridge. The Saints then open Frontier play with three straight home games. Sayers returns home pleased with the outcome of the tournament despite the disappointment of today's loss.
"Both games served their purpose," Sayers said. "It showed the type of team we are capable of being. Our offensive production is where we want it to be, but the bottom line is that we have to hit open shots."
