Crusaders unable to reduce early deficit against Rhodes.
Crusaders unable to reduce early deficit against Rhodes.

Women's Basketball unable to keep up with Rhodes Sunday

IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas women's basketball team dropped Sunday's non-conference game to Rhodes College 84-54 at the Maher Center. Dallas trailed by 20 at the half, and were unable to shrink the gap the rest of the way. The Lynx, who improved to 6-3, shot 41 percent from the field and benefitted from a 60-35 rebounding gap. This included 26 on the offensive glass which led to a 28-9 advantage in second chance points.

Dallas struggled shooting 24.2 percent from the field and dropped its third game in a row to fall beneath .500 (4-5) for the first time on the season. Panda Green (Farmersville, Texas) netted a personal-best 19 points thanks to five three-pointers in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A jumper by Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) 30 seconds into play gave the Crusaders their only lead of the game. After Rhodes countered with the next four points, DeCoud dropped another jumper to tie the score less than two minutes ticked by. Rhodes' Lindsey Whiteside split at the free throw line, with the second one counting to give the visitor's a lead that never was relinquished.

Erin Deery sank the first three of the game with six minutes left to push the margin up to four. After UD's Green responded with her first trifecta to bring it back to a point is when the Lynx took control of the momentum. An Alyssa Owens trey at five and a half in the quarter sparked a 12-0 run. Moriah Muhammad's fastbreak layup with 2:35 capped the surge and put Rhodes up 20-7. A three-pointer a minute prior by Jessie Ustick had made the deficit double-digits the first time on the day.

Dallas trailed at the end of the frame 23-10, and allowed the first nine points in the next quarter to make the advantage 22. The Lynx got hot from behind the three-point arc in the second quarter as they made 5-of-6 from deep. That supported a 21-14 scoring advantage to lift Rhodes ahead 44-24 at the break. The largest lead at the time for the guests had been 24 with 2:38. A pair of free throws by Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) and then a jumper by Helen Onyenso (Oak Park, Ill.) allowed the Crusaders to end the period strong.

The margin stretched to 27 early in the third, but Green torched the defense with a trio of consecutive threes in under a minute-span. Her final one in that group came with 7:12 and helped the sophomore eclipse double figures for the first time in her career.

After that last trey, Onyenso made a layup to narrow the margin to 19 (54-35) with 6:09 left. Rhodes never got rattled as the next five points went on its side.  The Crusaders made another attempt at shrinking the margin as Green swished her fourth trey of the quarter, and an Onyenso free throw made it a 20-point game again with three and a half.

The Lynx responded on the next seven points to close the third up by 27. The scoreboard margin reflected a lead by as many as 31 – largest of the game – within the last 10 minutes of regulation.

DeCoud was the other Dallas player in double figures for scoring with 11. She added six rebounds. Onyenso chipped in eight points and led the squad with nine boards – six on the offensive glass.

The Crusaders did not lead many categories, but did force 22 turnovers compared to committing 20. They also managed a 10-8 advantage in steals with Green, Onyenso, and Vanessa Diaz (San Antonio, Texas) registering a pair apiece.

Muhammad led the Lynx in scoring with 15 points off the bench. A quintet of players achieved double-digits with Whiteside (12), Ustick (12), Owens (11), and Maya Longacre (11) being included in the group. Whiteside did record a double-double with 10 rebounds, and Allie Young led the team with 11. Five players for Rhodes notched at least six rebounds.

TIP-INS

Dallas made seven three-pointers to tie a season-most from two games prior at Dallas Christian College (12/5).

The Crusaders shot a season-best 75 percent (15-20) at the free throw line.

All five of Green's three-pointers counted for her first 15 points. That single-game amount of made treys matches Caraway's quintet against Johnson & Wales (12/2).

SOCIAL MEDIA

UP NEXT

Dallas welcomes Hendrix College on Tuesday for the second matchup of the year between these teams. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.