Women dominate then lose by 14

It was a roller coaster week for the women’s basketball team. They went from domination to a struggle. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the women went to Hilbert and owned the court, 78-43. Saturday was very different for the Lions. They headed to La Roche and left with their third conference loss, 56-42. 

The Lions walked all over Hilbert for the second time this season. The last time they met, the game ended 70-21 in Behrend’s favor. The Lions offense was on fire again on Saturday shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. They ended the first half 44-17. The second half was no different for the Lions.

Senior guard Brittany Wilwohl led the women with 14 points and seven assists. Junior forward Julia Myers followed with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Junior forward Holly Bourquin followed close behind with 11 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Brianna Bayly scored in double figures as well adding 10.

The women were pumped up and ready to face La Roche. The Redhawks and Lions clashed on Dec. 10 in the Junker Center. Unfortunately for the Lions, they fell 51-39. Ready for a battle, Behrend hit the floor ready to play. They were determined to give the Redhawks their first conference loss of the season. The game didn’t go how they planned. 

The game started off a little slow with the defenses battling back and forth. The first half later ended 21-21. The Redhawks caught fire and blew past the Lions scoring 35 points in the second half. Behrend matched the first half by only scoring 21 points.  Though Behrend fought hard, they couldn’t come back from the deficit. They fell by 14 points in the end. 

La Roche couldn’t top Behrend in rebounds. The Lions had 34 rebounds to the Redhawks 26. Every one of the Lions chipped in at least one rebound. It wasn’t enough to snap La Roche’s winning streak. They have won their last 25 matchups against AMCC teams. 

Wilwohl was the leading contributor for the Lions with 16 points and seven rebounds. Myers added eight points and five rebounds. Bourquin and Bayly each contributed six points of their own.

Turnovers were their demise. The Lions had 27 turnovers to the Redhawks 15. Both offenses were struggling. Behrend shot 35.7 percent from the floor. La Roche barely passed them shooting 38.9 percent.

La Roche will take the season sweep of the Lions. Behrend only has three conference losses. The last was to Medaille last week. La Roche stands on top of the AMCC as of now followed by Medaille. The Lions are close behind in third. Medaille and La Roche will meet up again on Feb. 18 to determine the final standings in the conference.

As for Behrend, their next match-up will be on Wednesday in the Junker Center. They will face D’Youville at 8 p.m. When these teams met earlier in the season, Behrend took the victory 83-64. The Spartans were no challenge for the Lions. Despite the big victory, the Lions are ready for a fight. Coming off of a loss, they are ready to redeem themselves in this conference faceoff.