HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (December 3, 2011) – The Centenary women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 78-66 in Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play to Immaculata University.
The Cyclones struggled early, with the Mighty Macs striking for the first six points of the game. Centenary continued to fall behind, trailing 9-1 before mounting a charge. The Cyclones made three consecutive baskets by senior Bridget McCann (Keyport, N.J./Keyport) and juniors Kellie Rose (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) and Heather Russell (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill Valley Regional) to close the score to 12-9. Immaculata weathered the storm however, and stretched the lead to over ten points where it would remain for most of the first half.
Immaculata entered the game averaging over 13 steals per game and used that tough defense to contain Centenary. The Cyclones uncharacteristically turned the ball over 20 times leading to points the other way. Headed into the half, Centenary looked to make adjustments, trailing 36-23.
The second half began similar to the first as Immaculata scored the first six points of the half. The Cyclones appeared to be making progress after the initial Mighty Macs flurry, receiving clutch baskets from Russell to keep Centenary within striking distance.
As the Cyclones began to find some form, Immaculatta got hot from the foul line, shooting 12-16 from behind the stripe in the second half and 17-21 overall. With the solid shooting, and tight defense, Centenary faced an uphill battle all game. The Cyclones made a late push behind two three point buckets by sophomore Melissa Kukoda (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) who finished with a team high 11 points, however it was a matter of too little, too late as the Might Macs walked off with a 12 point win.
Despite the loss, Centenary Head Coach Justin Phoenix was pleased with his team's effort and determination. "The ladies played hard, and played from start to end. They played hard until the horn sounded, and I commend them for that."
Phoenix believes today's game was a good way to measure where the Cyclones stand within the conference. "It was a good test to find out a little about ourselves. Immaculata is a great team who is coached really well. It shows where we need to be and where we need to get to."
Phoenix stressed to his team to think about what improvements need to be made, and then to put today's game behind them. "We'll build on this. We need to have a short memory and be ready to play Marywood on Tuesday."
The Cyclones, now 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in the CSAC host Marywood University on Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the first game of the women's/men's double-header "Pack-the-House" night. The women tip off at 6pm with the men's game to follow.