The Lawrence University Women’s Basketball team fell last week against the Beloit Buccaneers by a final score of 68-49. Beloit (9-13) advanced to seventh in Midwest Conference standings while Lawrence (0-21) still looks to improve by getting its first win. Senior Lana Wieseman led the Buccaneers with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while the Vikings were paced by senior Patsy Kealey with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The Vikings approached this game with a positive mindset and a strong desire to perform at the highest level possible. “Like any game, it is always our goal to play better than the previous game and constantly improve how we work as a team,” says junior Aubrey Scott. The Vikings started the game well by keeping up with the Buccaneers during the first quarter. The score at the end of the first ten minutes of play was 13-11 with Lawrence trailing by 2.
Beloit responded by pulling away during the second quarter. Taking advantage of good rebounding and missed Viking shots, the Buccaneers went on a 23 to 10 scoring run, increasing their lead to a commanding 36-21 by the end of the quarter. Beloit continued its lead into the third quarter, but the Vikings showed life with a 7-0 scoring run to bring the score within 13 to 43-30. Beloit then continued its offensive dominance during the rest of the third and fourth quarters to seal the victory in a final score of 68-49.
While this game is chalked up as another loss for the struggling Vikings, Lawrence continues to make improvements. “While I wasn’t happy with the outcome and final score of the game, I thought we played pretty well,” says senior Andrea Wilkinson. “We executed our plays very well but unfortunately our shots weren’t falling, so we weren’t able to keep the game as close as I would have hoped.”
Although this has certainly been a tough season for the women’s basketball team, the players remain determined to make forward strides. “As much as it’s a disappointment that we have not won, I feel that we have continued to improve every game and we have hung in a lot of games that we could have won,” reflects Scott. “If we can continue to build our team chemistry and confidence, I believe that next season we’ll improve.”
The Vikings had their final home game of the season on Feb. 17, falling to Carroll 61-41. Senior Andrea Wilkinson led Lawrence in scoring with 11 points in the game.