Spring Arbor, MI - The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team faced a tall task tonight, a task that many teams would not be ready for. For starters, they were playing host to the #6 ranked, 23-2 Marian University Knights and needed a win badly to keep their chances of hosting a first round conference tournament game alive. If that wasn't already daunting enough, they were going to have to do it all without their leading scorer Alana Nelson, who was out with an illness. And to top it off, the Cougars had not beaten the Knights in 20 consecutive contests dating back to January of 2013. So yes, the task at hand was certainly tall, but how did the cougars respond?
 
They didn't even flinch.
 
From the opening tip-off, it was clear the Cougars were ready for battle. They paired ball movement with precise play calling to expose the Knights defense and build an early advantage over the Knights, and jump out to an early 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Marian opened the second quarter primed for a comeback, as they rattled off consecutive buckets to take a 20-18 advantage at the 7:44 mark. Junior Alize Tripp connected on consecutive triples shortly after, and the Cougars began to build their lead back. Emma Smieska knocked in two free throws with 50 seconds remaining to push the lead to 11, but an ensuing 3-pointer from Marian made it a 37-29 Cougar lead heading into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, it was crucial for the Cougars to preserve the lead they had, as Marian had outscored their opponents to the tune of 474-350 in the third quarter this season. Grace Shoobridge, who was a consistent contributor for the Cougars all night, connected on a shot to push their lead to 12 points with 5:27 left in the quarter. The Knights followed by finding some of their mojo that made them one of the best teams in the entire country, and fought back to tie the contest at 57 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
After trading buckets at the start of the quarter, the Cougars turned up the heat. Alex Long provided clutch baskets for the Cougars, as she scored 9 of her 20 points in the fourth. The Cougars held a 6 point advantage with one minute remaining in the contest, but the Knights would not go down without a fight. They drained a deep triple with 14 seconds remaining to cut the Cougar lead to two, 79-77. Alize Tripp was fouled on the ensuing play, and split the free throws to make it a three point game. The Knights missed a game-tying 3-point attempt, and Alize Tripp again connected on a free throw following a foul to take a four point advantage and seal the monumental upset, 81-77.
 
The Basics:
Spring Arbor 81, Marian 77
McDonald Athletic Center
Spring Arbor: 18-8 (8-8 CL), Marian: 23-3 (14-2 CL)
 
Game Stats:
- Senior Grace Shoobridge and Sophomore Alex Long led the way for the Cougars, each scoring 20 points in the win.
- Junior Alize Tripp also had a productive night, scoring 18 points, including 3-3 from behind the arc.
- Freshman Emma Smieska provided energy and production from the bench, scoring 16 points consisting of an efficient 10-12 from the free throw line.
- Spring Arbor scored 81 points, the most the Knights have let up all season. Their 52% shooting from the field and 44% shooting from three were well over what the Marian defense has allowed per game this season.
- This is spring Arbor's first win against Marian since the 2013 season, snapping a 20-game losing streak.
- The conference win sits Spring Arbor in the #4 spot in the Crossroads league standings. The top 4 seeds host a first round tournament game.
- Marian was led by Ella Collier, who scored 21 points.
 
Next Up: The Cougars hit the road to take on Goshen College this Saturday, February 11th at 1pm.