Loss builds character.
The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team built a lot of character this past weekend, losing to Louisville last Friday, 61-44, and to Cincinnati, 70-67, on Sunday.
SLU fell to 14-11 overall and 5-9 in Conference USA.
Against Louisville, the Billikens took a 12-6 lead six minutes into the game, paced by five points from sophomore guard Harmonie King.
The Cardinals tried to overtake the Billikens throughout the half, but were thwarted in every run.
When sophomore guard Star Jackson hit a jumper at the free throw line, the Billikens took a 25-22 lead.
Louisville finally overtook the Billikens with four minutes left in the half. The Cardinals ended the half on a 12-2 run and took a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
Louisville’s momentum carried over into the second half and the Cardinals never looked back. They pushed their lead to 10 points early in the second half and shut down SLU’s offense with its 1-2-2 zone defense.
“Our offense was stagnant. You’re easy to guard when you stand still,” said coach Jill Pizzotti.
“That’s been the biggest challenge for us the last two-and-a-half weeks,” Pizzotti added. “Zones can lull you into that. We passed it around the perimeter and didn’t attack too many times.”
The Cincinnati Bearcats visited SLU on Sunday for Senior Day. The Billikens honored seniors Bridget Beckmann, April McKinney and Katie Battern in a ceremony prior to the game.
“All three have been integral parts of establishing the program,” Pizzotti said.
“Bridget (Beckmann) is a fine student and an excellent player. She was an integral part of the team that went 16-12 two years ago. She’ll continue to do good things.
“April (McKinney) is a talented young lady. She was one of the first to commit to the city and the University. Because of her, Angie Lewis and Christan Shelton came here. She stayed home and helped build the program here. She’s someone whom the city and University should be proud of. She always represents us very well.
“Katie (Battern) has a knack for keeping smiles on people’s faces. She keeps everybody up and represents us extremely well,” Pizzotti said.
As the Bills and Bearcats battled it out, SLU began to pull away midway through the half. Sophomore guard Christan Shelton led a 10-4 run that gave the Billikens a 26-18 lead.
The Billikens maintained the eight-point spread through the rest of the half and held a 39-31 lead at the half.
The Bearcats opened the half with a 13-5 run and took the lead, 44-43, with 14 minutes left.
Both teams traded baskets until Cincinnati built a 57-52 lead.
The Billikens tied the contest at 58 with eight minutes left. Sophomore Kirsti Holloway curled off a high screen and hit a jumper from the free throw line.
The Bearcats pulled ahead 68-61 and looked to be cruising toward the win.
But SLU stormed back. Shelton hit a pair from the charity stripe to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 68-65. After a Bearcat hoop, Jackson beat her defender off the dribble and hit a layup that cut the lead to 70-65.
King collected a steal on the Bearcats next possession. Shelton converted a jumper to cut Cincinnati’s lead to three.
After a time out, the Billikens had three looks at a game-tying three, but each fell short as SLU lost 70-67.
“Losses are really tough,” Pizzotti said. “When you execute well for 40 minutes, shoot 83 percent from the free throw line and 46 percent from the field, you have to be proud of the effort. To Cincinnati’s credit, they did a good job of getting inside.”
The seniors wanted to win their final home contest, but they were proud of their effort.
“We knew we had to try our best physically and emotionally. We played hard. We didn’t roll over and kept playing,” said McKinney.
“We wanted this win. They found out how to attack us and capitalized on our mistakes,” said Beckmann.
The Billikens take to the road to end the regular season. SLU travels to Milwaukee to face Marquette on Friday at 7 p.m. and to Chicago for the season finale at DePaul at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Both teams are just ahead of the Billikens in the American Division.
Marquette (10-15, 6-8) snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over South Florida last Sunday. Forwards Heidi Bowman and Sarah Zawodny are both averaging 14.8 points and 11.1 boards a game.
“They’re a very good team,” said Pizzotti. “The biggest challenge will be keeping them off the boards. Last year, we played them tough at their place.”
DePaul (13-12, 6-8) is lead by Lenae Williams, who is scoring 17 points a game.
“They’ll be tough to beat on the road,” Pizzotti said.
“It’ll be their Senior night and emotions will be high. We have to limit Lenae Williams’ shots. We have to find a way to make a run before the conference tournament.”
