Last-second losses can break your heart.
The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team dropped a pair in the waning seconds on the road to Cincinnati and Louisville this past weekend.
Last Sunday, the Billikens opened up quickly against Louisville at Freedom Hall and shot 46 percent from the field and built a 20-point lead in the first half.
The Billikens’ defense frustrated the Cardinals into 20 percent shooting from the field and led 38-18 at halftime. Sophomore guard Kirsti Holloway was perfect from the floor and led SLU with 10 point from the field.
Louisville employed a full-court press after the intermission and went on a quick seven-point run. Junior guard Christan Shelton hit a shot to end the run. But Louisville regained its momentum and went on an 11-0 run to pull to 40-36 with 13 minutes left in the game.
Louisville tied the game at 46 with just under eight minutes left in the contest. Louisville took the lead for the first time with five minutes left in the game. The teams went back-and-forth for the next three minutes. Louisville took the lead for good with 1:27 left in the game on a Sabrina Minter three-pointer.
SLU pulled to 61-60 on a putback from sophomore forward Angie Lewis with 23 second left. Minter and sophomore guard Sara Nord each hit one of two free throws to give the Cardinals a 63-60 lead. Holloway took a long three as the clock wound down that missed right and Louisville prevailed 63-60.
Shelton led SLU with 15 points. Holloway added 12 and junior guard Harmonie King chipped in 10 points.
“We played some of our best basketball in the first half,” said coach Jill Pizzotti. “We did a tremendous job defensively. They’re one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country and they didn’t hit on in the first half. The second half was a complete 180 for us.”
Last Friday, the Billikens traveled to Cincinnati and used a stifling full-court press to aggravate the Bearcats.
Cincinnati struggled on the offensive end, but was able to capitalize on their height advantage and converted offensive boards into points.
Despite the advantage, the Billikens stayed with the Bearcats and trailed 30-29 at halftime after a layup from junior guard Star Jackson.
The Billikens shot 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. SLU’s pressure defense was evident in Cincinnati’s shooting percentage, as the Bearcats only shot 37 percent from the field.
SLU came out with an even stingier defense and limited Cincinnati to 27 percent shooting from the field.
The Bearcats went on an 8-0 run to open the half and led 40-33 with 13 minutes left. SLU countered with a 12-2 run and took a 45-42 lead with seven minutes left in the game.
Both teams matched each other, and the Bearcats took the lead with just under three minutes left. The Billikens regained the lead with half a minute left when King took advantage of Cincinnati’s late-rotating defense and hit a jumper from 12 feet out.
SLU held the Bearcats on their next possession. Cincy regained possession and, after a shot was deflected out by SLU, took the winning shot. Guard Valerie King missed a baseline jumper, but forward Laura Wilder tipped in the game-winner with 0.8 seconds left in the contest. The Bearcats won 56-55.
“It was a tough game for us,” Pizzotti said. “Cincinnati was ranked 25th in the nation. It was a hard-fought game. We did a great job of competing with them. Our ladies did a tremendous job on defense.
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SLU (11-12 overall, 4-6 in Conference USA games) plays its final two home games of the year this weekend.
The Billikens host Houston on Fri., Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. and TCU on Sun., Feb 17 at 2 p.m. Friday night is Billikens Bobblehead night. The first 350 fans will receive a Billiken Bobblehead.
The Houston Cougars (17-6 overall and 7-3 in C-USA) have won three in a row and are tied for third in the conference.
“Houston is extremely athletic. They have good size and will come at you. They’ll press you 94 feet and are able to go to a zone,” Pizzotti said.
TCU (18-5 overall and 8-2 in C-USA) is in first place in the league. The Horned Frogs are the best defensive team in the conference, allowing only 56.7 points per game.
“They were in the NCAA Tournament last season and are leading the conference now. They have great balance and have a good inside-outside attack,” Pizzotti said.
