By Staff
LANSING – The road is always a tough place to play in the grueling Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Western Conference. The Ancilla College women's basketball team found that out first hand at Lansing Community College, losing to the Lady Stars 64-54, for their second loss on the road in the conference in two tries.
Lansing (8-6, 2-1 MCCAA) took an eight point lead at halftime, 29-21, and rode it to the final ten point margin. The biggest discrepancy in the game came in rebounding. The host Stars grabbed six more defensive rebounds and five more offensive rebounds than Ancilla (8-7, 1-2 MCCAA), leading to nine more field goal attempts. Since both teams shot similar percentages from the field (Ancilla shot 41.2 percent while Lansing shot 45.0 percent) the extra shots by Lansing turned out to be crucial.
A frustrated Ancilla coach Dave Liverance commented after the loss. "We had problems taking care of the ball [21 turnovers], shot poorly, lacked confidence, and weren't aggressive enough."
With 1:30 left in the game, Ancilla cut the Lansing lead to four, but were unable to get any closer.
"We missed several bunnies," said Liverance, referring to missed opportunities under the basket. "Two freshmen stepped up with solid play," continued Liverance, "Jessica Shinsky's 10 points and seven rebounds along with Amanda DeWitt's eight points off the bench were positives for us."
Shinsky (Niles) led the team in rebounds and was one of three players in double digits for Ancilla. Ashley Morales led the Lady Chargers, while being held to just 13 points. Her totals represented almost seven points below her 19.9 points per game average for the season. This mark has kept her in the top ten in the nation in scoring all year. Kristy Gilbrech also pitched in twelve points and six rebounds for Ancilla. Crystal Combs led the Lady Chargers in assists, finishing the game with five.
Ancilla's next game is Saturday, Jan. 13 at NJCAA No. 20 Kellogg Community College for a 1 p.m. start. They return home to the LifePlex on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. against Glen Oaks Community College.
Ancilla College is a Catholic, two-year, co-educational, liberal arts college in Donaldson, Ind. sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.