Andrew Anastasio – Sports Editor –
After an 83-68 defeat to Franklin Pierce last Wednesday, the Owls Women’s Basketball team (4-8, 1-8 NE-10) hit the road Saturday, only to lose their third consecutive game to UMass-Lowell, 77-74.
“I think we have the potential to be a very good basketball team,” head coach Meghan Brown said after Wednesday’s loss. “Our youth affects us at times due to our mental toughness and the discipline down the stretch. We lost our defensive discipline a lot more in the second half, and I think that really cost us the game. We were fatigued, and we didn’t sprint to spots, we didn’t set on-ball screens, and our shot selection was poor. The kids are not intending to be selfish, but we are not really using each other when we need to when we are really tired.”
In the first four minutes of play, the Owls defense led by sophomore Mariah Hankton and senior captain Camille Fantini each committed two steals; to help the Owls jump out to an early 12-4 lead.
Despite early production on the defensive side of the ball, the Owls offense committed 11 turnovers of their own which allowed the Ravens to cut their deficit to five points with 4:22 remaining in the first half. After two consecutive Brittany Martelle three-point field goals, the once 10-point advantage for the Owls faded into a 42-39-halftime lead in favor of the Ravens, who finished the half on a 19-6 run.
“We got to keep ourselves out of a hole,” freshman forward Jackie Beathea said. “We jumped out to an early lead on them, and then we fell back and allowed them to get back into the game. We got to stop digging ourselves into holes and if we do, we got to learn how to dig ourselves back out because we know what we are capable of.”
Coming out of halftime, the Owls managed to tie the game at 55-55 after two three-point field goals from Fantini. However, the Ravens’ Tiffany Johnson responded with two three-pointers to help the Ravens regain a lead they would not relinquish.
“We had so many mental lapses tonight,” Hankton said. “Everybody’s mental lapses built up, and it resulted in too many mistakes.”
Beathea, who entered the game as the Owls’ leading scorer, led the team who shot just 35.2% for the game, with 23 points. The Ravens, led by Kara Charette who finished with a team high 22 points, shot 60.9% from the field. Brown said the team’s defense must improve going forward.
“I think the team needs to be disciplined more in shutting down the middle of the floor,” Brown said. “We need to get better rotating to where the ball moves. These are things we have been drilling since September that should be a habit now. They also need to really start executing and turning it up.”
The loss puts the Owls in fourteenth place in Northeast-10 Conference. The team also ranks thirteenth in field goal percentage at 38%, and fifteenth in turnovers per game averaging 21.6.
“If we cut the mistakes and pick up our defense, our team will be alright,” Hankton said. “Defense is what we stress, and if we improve there, we’ll be all set.”
In Saturday’s game against UMass-Lowell, the Owls were unable to slow a River Hawks attack led by Bianca Simmons, who scored a game-high 28 points. Beathea led the Owls who shot 34.2% from the field, with 18 points. Fantini and Hankton also finished in double figures, scoring 27 points combined.
Coming out of halftime trailing the River Hawks 36-29, the Owls managed to cut their deficit to six with only 32 seconds remaining in regulation. After a missed layup opportunity by Beathea with 14 seconds left, the River Hawks possessed the during the final seconds to secure the win.
The Owls, who committed 30 turnovers in Saturday’s loss, will return to action Tuesday Jan. 15, at Saint Michaels College.
Sophomore guard, Mariah Hankton, had 15 points in the Owls loss last Wednesday.
