This past weekend, the women’s basketball team continued their way through conference play with a hard loss from Duquesne, 94-65, and a turnaround victory against Rhode Island, 68-50.
Over the break, the women wrapped up their nonconference portion of season with a respectable 10-3 record. They currently sit at 5-2 in the Atlantic 10, and have an overall record of 15-5.
The Billikens took to the road on Jan. 18 to visit Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa. The women started on the front foot when senior center Sadie Stipanovich scored nine points in the first four minutes of play to give SLU an 11-9 edge. The game was tied at 16 halfway through the first quarter, but Duquesne hit a hot streak to take a 29-18 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.
SLU remained flustered in the second quarter. The Dukes opened up the quarter with a 21-2 run in just three minutes of play. SLU scored a meager seven points in the second quarter alone, conceding a 55-25 lead in favor of Duquesne at the halfway mark.
By this point in the game, the women could not dig themselves out of the gaping hole from the second quarter. Duquesne never let down, and the Bills outscored them by only one point in the fourth quarter. The women dropped the decision to the Dukes, 94-65.
Stipanovich and sophomore guard Jordyn Frantz both scored 15 points for the game-high, and senior forward Olivia Jakubicek added 14 points. Junior guard Jackie Kemph could not make the offense go for SLU, scoring only four points and completing five assists.
Despite the devastating loss in Pittsburgh, the women turned things around on Jan. 21 against the Rhody Rams in Kingston, Rhode Island.
The first quarter was a trade-off of points between both teams that ended in a tie at 13. SLU pressed on in the second quarter, and finally drew ahead at the end of the half, 35-33.
Neither team was comfortable, but SLU proved once again that the third quarter is where they shine the brightest. The women went on an 11-2 spurt to lead, 46-35, halfway into the quarter. Towards the end of the period, SLU drew ahead by double digits again to lead, 57-42, going into the last period of play.
This lead gave SLU the confidence to put the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter. The final score was 68-50, and SLU never looked like giving up its lead.
The Billikens’ defense won them the game on this night, a different scenario for the typically high-scoring style team. They held the Rams to 31 percent shooting overall and 27.8 from 3-point range. They allowed only 17 points in the second half, their best defensive product this season.
Kemph scored 12 points and took the game-high in assists with 7. Stipanovich added 10 points and eight rebounds, earning her a fifth place spot on SLU’s career scoring list with 1,367 points. Several other Billikens scored in the game, and 21 of SLU’s points came from the bench.
The women will continue to battle their way through conference play. They return to Chaifetz Arena on Jan. 26 to take on George Washington at 7 p.m. and again on Jan. 28 against Fordham at 7 p.m.
