The Dominican University women's basketball team came up short in a back-and-forth matchup with the La Roche College Redhawks, falling 65-60 in a game that featured 13 lead changes and six ties.
Stephenee Huggans came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points for Dominican in the losing effort.
"We have not put together a complete game yet and it is very frustrating," said Dominican University first-year head coach Amanda Parker. "We have a good team with a lot of talent but we cannot decide to play smart, physical basketball once the fourth quarter starts—that's too late. We have to get off to better starts and once we do that, the outcomes will be in our favor. This was a tough loss for us but we have no time to dwell. We have to move forward and get refocused for another really good team tomorrow."
The Stars erased a seven-point fourth quarter lead for the Redhawks, pulling ahead, 55-54, on
Timiya Ray's lay in with 4:16 to play. Huggans added to the Stars' lead, scoring two of her 12 fourth quarter points on Dominican's next possession before a 7-1 run for the Redhawks put La Roche back in front, 61-58 with 0:45 to play. Huggans cut the lead back down to one with a pair of free throws before La Roche converted on four trips to the foul line in the final fifteen seconds.
The Stars managed 12 offensive rebounds, getting 15 more shots than the Redhawks, but managed to shoot just 36-percent from the field, 23-for-64, including converting on five of 22 attempts from behind the three-point line.
Huggans shot 5-for-12 off the bench, including hitting on two of five attempts from three-point range, while Ray added 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Alisha Markley reached double-figures for the first time on the season, adding ten points in 34 minutes of floor time.
For the Redhawks, Jenna Cole poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting. Dasja Anderson added 11 points while Sidney Farmer chipped in ten points off the La Roche bench.
The Stars (2-2) close out the Julie Costello Memorial Classic on Sunday, taking on the Maryville College Scots. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. ET at the Connor Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
