SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team's upset bid came up short, falling to No. 16 Siena Heights University 52-39 on Thursday night inside the SAU Fieldhouse.
The loss drops the Cougars to 1-4 on the season while the Saints move to 1-0.
Both teams started slow, struggling to make shots and take care of the basketball, and after 10 minutes of play the score was tied at 8-8. However, the Saints would find their rhythm and use a 12-0 run to take a 20-8 lead with less than a minute to play in the opening half. A basket by sophomore Rachel Driesenga would cut the deficit to 10 in the closing seconds, but SHU's Sierra Calhoun would hit a shot just before the horn to give the visitors a 22-10 advantage at halftime.
Siena Heights extended the margin to 14 early in the second period, but an 8-0 run by the Cougars – highlighted by a pair of threes from sophomore Aimee Konkel – made it a six point game at the 17:00 mark.
The Saints would slowly push their lead back to 14 with less than six minutes remaining in the contest, but the Cougars refused to go down without a fight. A three-pointer from senior Lindsey Burnside and an old-fashioned three-point play by Driesenga would help trim SHU's lead down to nine, 48-39, at the 3:04 mark.
That's as close as Spring Arbor would get, however, as the Saints answered with four straight points to halt the run and put the game out of reach.
The Cougars finished shooting 33 percent (16-for-49) from the field while Siena Heights only hit 31 percent (18-for-58) of its shots. The Saints had an advantage on the glass, though, and was able to turn 15 offensive rebounds into 15 second chance points.
Konkel finished with a team-high 13 points and five steals. Burnside followed with eight points and six rebounds while Townsley and Driesenga chipped in seven apiece. Townsley also pulled down a game-high 11 boards.
Siena Heights was led by 21 points and 10 rebounds from Mackenzie Tomasik. Calhoun also finished in double figures with 12 points.
Spring Arbor will begin with a three game road swing with a trip to Rochester College on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The game is slated to tip-off at 7 p.m.
- Follow Cougar Nation -
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Live Stream
