Women's Basketball unable to Contain Bulldogs
SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas women's basketball team (10-8, 4-5 SCAC) was unable to halt a surging Texas Lutheran University team (11-8, 6-3 SCAC) in a 92-75 setback on Saturday evening.
Dallas dropped its third-straight for the second time this campaign and sits below .500 within the league for the first time. TLU posted the most points scored by an opposition to the Lady Crusaders, thanks to a 50-point second stanza.
UD raced out to a quick start owning a 10-4 lead throughout the first three minutes of the contest. The home squad would remain in striking distance but didn't retake the lead until 9:11 remained in the frame.
The final portion of the half didn't witness either team maneuver much momentum as Texas Lutheran would push its advantage to no more than a trio before the Navy and White responded back. Dallas trailed 42-39 at intermission.
The Bulldogs boasted a shift on the scoreboard with a nine-point difference being etched just over five minutes into the second stanza. The result at the time was 56-47, but a two minute run that witnessed eight unanswered Dallas buckets nipped things to a point.
At 12:22, the Black and Gold rattled off a 12-3 spurt to build the first double-digit margin of the contest. Even with UD's best efforts, the home squad captured the hot-shooting and finalized the last seven minutes with a 19-12 run.
Texas Lutheran shot 54.8-percent from the field, 50-percent from three-point land, and 78.6-percent from the free throw line in the second half.
Another team-high from senior Marleyna Bustamante (Donna, Texas) highlighted her big weekend for the Lady Crusaders. The guard, who eclipsed 1,000 points the previous night, notched 21 points with a 10-of-12 performance from the charity stripe. Bustamante has averaged 20.5 points a contest the last quartet of matchups.
Sophomore Seana Stoia (Tulsa, Okla.) contributed a season-high 14 points. Fellow classmate Lindsey Gendron (Houston, Texas) chipped in 11 from the bench.
Freshman Michelle DeCoud grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, as Dallas was outdone 40-32 on the glass.
As a team, the Navy and White shot a 45.5-percent shooting average, with 41.7 and 74.1 clips occurring from beyond the arc and free throw line, respectively.
TLU was led by Karisa Cantu with 25 points in the game, including totals: 7-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 8-of-10 in free throws. Taylor Dydalewicz just missed a double-double with 22 points and nine boards, which resulted in the team-leading for the win.
Two players off the bench, which combined for 37 points altogether, rounded out the double figure scoring performances with Savannah Hight and Kristen Lye chipping in 18 and 16, respectively. Bianca Casas tallied nine assists.
UD was forced into 22 turnovers and made the Black and Gold commit 14 of its own. The Bulldogs managed 36 points in the paint.
STAT OF THE GAME
Bustamante collected another season-most 10 shots made from the charity stripe on the night. It's the third time a player for the Lady Crusaders has cracked the mark, and third most by an individual in a game this year. Senior Brooke Hagemann (Oklahoma City, Okla.) claimed the highest amount with 16 at Colorado College two weeks ago. Sophomore Holly Tonry (Seattle, Wash.) piled 13 in a win versus University of Ozarks on Nov. 22.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dallas will have a quick turnaround with a non-conference game at Dallas Christian College on Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m.
After that UD resumes SCAC action again on Feb. 6-7 at the Maher Athletic Center for Centenary College of Louisiana and Colorado College. Both start times are set at 6 p.m.