PITTSBURG, Kan. The Bluejays got about two weeks off after playing No.10 Division II Fort Hays State University and playing them close. The ladies got the opportunity to play No. 16 Division II Pittsburg State University. Playing a well-coached team led to a loss to the Bluejays record, 47-75.
The starting five included senior guard Ja'Neysha Hendricks, junior guards Teegan Werth and Kassidy Beam, senior guard/forward Madie McCoy, and senior forward Alyvia Owens.
Head Coach Shawn Reed said, "It was a tough loss to a very talented and experienced Pitt State team. Pitt is ranked #16 in NCAA Division II and it is easy to see why they are so highly ranked. Pitt is long and athletic and they are very aggressive in their dribble drive offense and in transition. We simply got beat by a much more talented team."
"We really struggled to defend Pitt in the first half. We had not played against the dribble drive yet this season (which is surprising) so this was our first time putting those defensive concepts into practice on the court. We struggled to keep Pitt from getting downhill and getting to the rim. I thought as the game progressed, we did a better job of keeping our man in front of us and moving in and out of help but honestly, there were times when athletically they were just quicker than us", continued Coach Reed.
The first quarter started off to a great start for the Jays, staying close for the first four minutes. After some good ball movement, the Gorillas got the momentum to finish, 9-24 Pitt. State. At the start of the second quarter, the Bluejays got a quick layup to get going. Slowly adding to the score, Pitt. State never let up, 18-41 Gorillas.
"We also had a very difficult time guarding Karenna Gerber on the interior. She is a very long and strong post player with excellent hands and we couldn't guard her around the rim or keep her off the glass. I thought she was clearly the best player on the floor", Coach stated.
After the half, the Bluejays inched their way to cut the deficit. There was no stopping the Gorillas, they found open shots to increase the lead, 28-58 PSU. The fourth quarter looked better for the Jays but it just was not enough to win the game 47-75 Pittsburg State.
"Offensively, we struggled to find open shots and connect. I think part of that was the effort we were having to give on the defensive side of the court. In the second half, we executed better and we had some three-point shots go in which also helped us be more efficient. We also missed a ton of free throws which has been an issue for us this year and something we need to fix", included Coach Reed.
"We will need to play a lot better if we hope to compete at Friends when we open conference play. Friends has a very strong and experienced front-court and they have added some new guards who are skilled and talented. They are very aggressive defensively and they run some really good stuff on offense to take advantage of their strengths. We will have to try and play a lot better than we did at Pitt State", said Coach.
The ladies play on Wednesday, Jan. 3rd at 6 p.m. in Wichita, Kansas against Friends University to continue conference games.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
