ough it may not be a winning streak by any stretch of the imagination, the Saint Louis University women’s basketball team has accumulated two wins in the past two weeks. This is considerable for a team with a 3-18 record.
After defeating Tulane on the Jan. 16, the Billikens rekindled their winning ways last Friday at the Buaman-Eberhardt Center against the Cincinnati Bearcats (6-14, 1-6 Conference USA) by a score of 49-47.
In a close contest the entire way, the Bills’ edge came by way of freshman point guard Mia Johnson’s 19 points and a double-double by junior Marquita McFarland. All told there were 18 lead changes in the game.
Both teams found themselves in a scoring quagmire for the first half as the Billikens went into the locker room with a 19-18 edge.
There seemed to be a lid on the basket most of the night, with SLU shooting at a 29 percent clip and the Bearcats only managing 33 percent made from the field. In spite of the poor shooting, the pace of the game picked up in the second half.
Johnson, who was accountable for only three of SLU’s first half points, went on a tear in the second, putting in 16-nine of which came in the final five minutes of the game.
With six minutes remaining, Cincinnati held a four-point lead at 41-37. A quick score by Johnson followed by a three-pointer by Rachel Diener put the Bills up 42-41, a lead they would never relinquish.
The Bearcats, however, came dangerously close. With less than a minute remaining, Cincinnati’s Anne Stephens dropped in a basket off an offensive rebound to make the score 49-47. After being quickly fouled on the inbound, SLU’s Johnson missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Bearcats a chance at the final shot. Micah Harvey was given an open look from about 19 feet out that missed long and the Bills escaped with the victory.
SLU squared off again two days later against another C-USA foe, the Louisville Cardinals. The result was less favorable.
At one point the Bills led by as many as nine points with a six-point advantage going into the half. Yet, the lead would be squandered as SLU took a second-half trouncing to eventually lose by a score of 72-55.
Things began to fall apart for SLU from the opening moments of the second half. Louisville started off on a 20-3 run. SLU rallied back to bring the score to 47-40. They briefly inched closer as Krystal Hatton completed a three-point play to bring the Bills within four. SLU stayed within five until the Cardinals pulled away with six minutes left, eventually leaving the Bills in their dust.
The Bills were outscored 49-26 in the half. They now stand at a 2-6 record in C-USA play.
Jazz Covington turned in a dominant performance from center for Louisville. She scored 20 and pulled down 10 rebounds. Two other Cardinals players hit double figures, with Angel Bradley not far behind Covington with 18 points. As a team, the Cardinals shot over 60 percent from the field.
A bright spot for the Bills was another strong outing by McFarland who exceeded Friday’s performance with another double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. She, however, was the only SLU player to score in double figures.
Louisville, 6-1 in conference play, now finds themselves in a four-way tie atop the C-USA standings along with Charlotte, DePaul and TCU. The Cardinals and DePaul face off on Saturday.
Next up for the Bills is a swing through the south, with two games in the Lone-Star State. SLU will face Houston this Saturday followed by a Monday night contest against TCU, who boasts the best overall record in the conference, at 18-3.
