Upset bid on #22 Trinity comes Short for Lady Crusaders on Friday
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of Dallas women's basketball team nearly upset No. 22 Trinity University on Friday night, but would fall short in a 53-48 final. Dallas (8-10, 3-5 SCAC) would shoot 47.4 percent in field goals, which was a season-best within conference play. The top 25 ranked Tigers (16-3, 7-1 SCAC) forced 30 turnovers to limit the Lady Crusaders attempts from the floor and swung the momentum in the second half just enough.
It seemed like a familiar start to a week ago at the Maher Center, when Trinity rattled off a 14-1 run to begin an easy victory. After sophomore Michelle DeCoud (Mounument, Colo.) evened the score, two points each, the Maroon and Gold pounced with five points on consecutive possessions to build a 7-2 edge. Dallas held strong and knotted things 12-12 on a layup by DeCoud's classmate Helen Onyenso (Oak Park, Ill.) with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.
A DeCoud jumper 13 seconds into the next frame displayed the Lady Crusaders first advantage of the game. That margin grew to 20-14 about halfway through the quarter. The Tigers did regain the lead a little bit later, but Onyenso had another timely layup – this time as time expired into the break. The Navy and White would be up 24-23 on the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)-leading Tigers.
Neither squad could maintain momentum, even as the third quarter trickled by. There were four of the contest's five ties during this 10-minute block and three lead changes. Stoia split at the free throw line with 2:13 remaining in the third. The forward connected on her second attempt to lift UD 35-34, before the home side closed frame with five-straight points. Allison Staley sank a trifecta with 24 seconds left to push Trinity up 39-35.
It appeared that was the energy boost the Tigers required to climb away, as the deficit for Dallas reached double-digits (47-37) with about six minutes left in regulation. The Lady Crusaders had gone cold from the floor, not making a field goal in about four and a half minutes. Junior Caitlyn Worry (Lumberton, Texas) provided a spark with back-to-back made shots beyond the three-point arc to cut the margin to six (49-43) with 3:17.
On the next possession DeCoud swiped a steal and Stoia muscled a layup that she got fouled on to create a three-point play scenario. The native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, tacked on the free throw to get three points the old fashioned way and narrow the gap 49-46. A Trinity miss was next and UD's season, leading-scorer nabbed another layup to cap a string of eight unanswered points for the guests.
There was just under two minutes remaining, but the Lady Crusaders would be unable to find the bottom of the net the rest of the way. Monica Holguin would notch a jumper to extend the lead to three, and Dallas would turn the ball over on the next play. Forced to foul, UD sent the Tigers to the stripe, and two more points rounded out the board.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stoia posted 12 of her team-high 16 points in the second stanza. She also recorded her second consecutive SCAC double-double performance with 11 rebounds. DeCoud broke double figures in the point's column for the third straight game and eighth time in 10 contests with 11 overall.
- Worry etched all nine of her points from a trio of treys she made. Onyenso tossed in six points and seven boards from the bench. Junior Holly Tonry (Seattle, Wash.) dished eight assists.
- Dallas won the battle on the boards 38-28. However, Trinity would bring in more offensive rebounds with 17 of its total from that side. Still, UD held a 10-9 edge in second chance points. The Lady Crusaders won the battle in the paint with 10 more points (30-20) coming from there.
- The Tigers shot 31.8 percent from the field and 20 percent downtown with a 7-for-35 display there. TU nabbed 18 steals and 30 points off Dallas miscues. Leading Trinity offensively Holguin with a 10-for-16 effort on the floor to show off 23 points. Allison Staley also broke double figures with 14.
UP NEXT
Dallas is at Schreiner University tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Lady Crusaders managed a 55-54 win a week ago at the Maher Center.