Women's Basketball Undone by Cold Shooting in Defeat to No. 10 Wheaton
Dec 11, 2015
Freshman Madison Boer (#15) drives baseline against #10 Wheaton on Friday night. The Spartans lost 52-68.
BOX SCORE
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque women's basketball team shot a season-low 22.8% and had 18 points at halftime in 68-52 defeat to No. 10 Wheaton on Friday night.
The Spartans (3-5) spoiled a career performance from sophomore Braanna Steen, who collected a career-high 15 rebounds to go with 16 points on a 3-for-7 performance from the field.
Steen and junior Emily Brinker, who totaled a game-high 20 points on 6 of 16 shooting with eight rebounds, sparked a struggling offense out of the gate and scored the Spartans first 13 points. It took the Spartans over 14 minutes to hit the 13-point mark as they ended the first quarter with 10 points, en route to a 40-18 first half deficit.
Turnovers bogged down the Spartan offensive, especially early on, as the Thunder turned 21 UD turnovers into 21 points.
UD shot just 17.2% in the first half, but missed the mark on plenty of good opportunities against a lengthy Thunder defense. Despite upping their shooting percentage to 28% in the second half, the Spartans continued to trail the Thunder (6-1), who maintained a healthy 20+ point lead down the stretch.
The Spartans held Wheaton to just 34.4% shooting, but couldn't overcome the Thunder's balanced attack as six Wheaton players each scored between six and a team-high 11 points.
Sophomore point guard Abbey Meyer, who stands 5'4", continued to attack the glass as she finished with the second-most rebounds with nine. Meyer, Steen, and Brinker represent the Spartans top three scorers and despite a rough night from the field, the trio shot a combined 19 of 23 (82.6%) from the free throw line.
The Spartans dropped to 0-3 in the all-time series against Wheaton, suffering a narrow 74-83 loss a year ago.
UD looks to get back to their winning ways at home against North Central (Ill.) next Saturday, December 19, at 1:00 p.m.
