DeCoud's 37 Points not Enough at Schreiner on Saturday
KERRVILLE, Texas – The University of Dallas women's basketball dropped Saturday's contest at Schreiner University by a 72-60 final. The Crusaders started hot with four three-pointers in the opening quarter to help a 20-14 lead. However, they were unable to halt a couple late runs in both halves by Schreiner. This included a 22-9 difference in the second period.
Michelle DeCoud (Monument, Colo.) poured a career-high 37 points, as she tied a personal-most 14 made field goals. The forward also went 8-for-10 at the free throw line and nailed a trifecta, but the senior's remarkable performance was not enough.
Dallas has fallen in the past three games, and sits 5-8 overall with a 0-3 mark in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play. Schreiner took its second straight conference win in the opening weekend, and improves to 4-9 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first four shot attempts by the Crusaders were from three-point range. After a quick miss following the jump ball, Celsi Caraway (Arlington, Texas) connected on the team's first field goal to knot the game at 3. Madilyne Borjon (San Antonio, Texas) followed on the next pair of UD possessions with back-to-back trifectas. DeCoud scored consecutive layups and Helen Onyenso (Oak Park, Ill.) dropped in a basket to open a 15-5 advantage in the first five minutes of play.
Caraway had the fourth trey of the frame to make it an eight-point lead and under a minute, but Schreiner's Danielle Cain answered with an immediate jumper to cap the first quarter at 20-14.
Kendall Dyal drained a three for the Mountaineers for the first points of the second and reduced the deficit in half. The Crusaders first points that quarter were registered by DeCoud almost three and a half minutes in on a layup. The home squad grabbed its second lead of the night – other time was 3-0 to start – as SU rattled off 12 straight points in the stanza to go up as many as seven.
36-29 was the score at the break.
UD's leading scorer on the night posted the team's first six points of the third period to cut the gap to one. The guests trailed by a single number on two other occasions, but were unable to change leads the rest of the way. For the second straight night, the Crusaders and their opponent matched the same total number of points in the third. Each side had 13 points.
Schreiner posted eight of the final 10 points to close the quarter up by seven again (51-44). In the last quarter, the Crusaders did surge back to an even game once, as DeCoud was able to pour the first seven points. Her two free throws, which she displayed 8-of-10 shooting from, knotted the score at 51 with 7:50 left.
A minute later Panda Green (Farmersville, Texas) sank both free throws to keep Dallas within a pair (55-53). The Mountainers pushed out for good over the next two minutes on a 12-2 run. A trey by Kendra Brown capped that outburst, and the Crusaders were unable to comeback.
STAT NOTABLES
DeCoud hit the team's other three-pointer, which came in the second quarter. Both teams shot 37 percent, but the Mountaineers were able to score on nine trifectas and 21 free throws. The Crusaders were 15-of-20 shooting at the charity stripe.
The 37 points for UD's senior forward surpassed her season-high by 15. She only had eclipsed 20 points in two other instances this season. DeCoud also led the team in rebounds (7) and swatted four blocks.
Borjon and Caraway were the next highest scorers for the Crusaders with eight points apiece. The Crusaders held an 18-12 edge for points in the paint. Schriener countered with a 44-32 advantage on the glass and forced three more turnovers (17-14).
A quartet of players for the Mountaineers landed in double figures led by Brown with 18 points. Jordyn Villa (16), Abigail Hewitt (12), and Cain (10) also formed the unit.
TIP-INS
DeCoud swatted four blocks in both road games this weekend to increase her career-record total to 119.
DeCoud also raised her name in the program's record books for points in large part due to her career-shattering day. She now has accumulated 1,140, which ranks her seventh. She passed Marleyna Bustamente ('15) and Ana Castillo, who were tied with one point less. She also jumped Kristy Malone's 1,116 total.
The Crusaders posted seven blocks for a team-best this campaign.
Saturday's total points were the highest in three SCAC games thus far.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Final | DeCoud poured a career-high 37 points thanks to 14-20 FG shooting! However it was not enough for the #UDCrusaders at Schreiner on Saturday. | @dallaswbb #GoUD #UDWBB #SCACwbb #d3h pic.twitter.com/1Uo5MmHj2i
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) January 7, 2018
UP NEXT
Dallas wraps up a three-game road trip with a non-conference tilt on Wednesday at Southwestern Adventist University. First tip is at 5 p.m. Last year the Crusaders prevailed in Irving by 60 points. Two years ago on the Knights' home floor, UD won 56-39.