@UDallasWBB drops season-opener to LeTourneau, 56-47
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas women's basketball team (0-1) tipped-off their 2013-14 season with a 56-47 loss to LeTourneau University (1-0) on Friday night at the Maher Athletic Center.
Despite converting just 22.2 percent (8 of 36) from the field in the first-half, Dallas entered halftime with a managable 25-21 deficit. The Lady Yellow Jackets recorded a 33.3-percent (7 of 21) clip in the opening half.
Ashley Stephens knocked-down the front-end of a pair of free throws with 9:31 remaining in the game to give LeTourneau a 14-point lead, their largest of the contest. Stephens finished with a double-double, including a game-high 13 points and 12 rebounds (one offensive) in 28 minutes of work. Her teammate Julencia Curtis grabbed 11 boards, and both student-athletes tied for a game-high four blocks.
Trailing 50-38 with 1:39 on the scoreboard, Dallas responded with a spirited seven-unanswered points in 20 seconds of clock. At the tail-end of this run, junior guard Marleyna Bustamante (Donna, Texas) made good on an "and one" opportunity to pull her team within five. LeTourneau outscored Dallas 6-2 over the final 1:19 to secure a nine-point victory.
Bustamante, the only Lady Crusader to enter double-figure scoring, contributed 10 points and added two assists in 25 minutes of play. Senior post Christy Allen (Burton, Mich.) and junior forward Brooke Hagemann (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each tallied 10 rebounds (three offensive) and combined for 14 points.
Free throws proved a key statistic as Dallas made 6-of-18 to LeTourneau's 21-of-30. Also noteworthy, the Lady Crusaders had 30 more attempts from the floor than their counterpart. They ended the affair with 23.7-percent shooting (18 of 76), while LeTourneau netted 34.8 percent (16 of 46). Dallas held a 5-3 advantage in made three-pointers at the final buzzer in a game that participants hoisted 41 total attempts.
Next opponent:
Dallas will face University of the Ozarks (Ark.) on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m., as part of the Austin College Invitational in Sherman, Texas.