Daugherty's Double-Double Not Enough In Women's Basketball's Loss to Westminster

Jan. 14 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Despite a third-straight double-double performance from freshman Kelsea Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier), the Bethany College women's basketball team (7-7, 3-4 PAC) dropped a 62-53 decision to Westminster College on Wednesday.

The first half was a defensive struggle, as both team's held their opponent under 30 percent shooting in the frame. The contest saw seven lead changes and four ties over the span of the opening half.

The final tie of the half came on a free throw by Daugherty which knotted the contest at 12-12. Westminster, however, would go on a 9-5 run to end the first half, and the Bison would trail 21-17 at the break.

The Green & White opened the second-half strong, outscoring the titans by 14 points over the first seven minutes of the half. A pair of three pointers by Mikyla Tipton (Wellsville, Ohio/Wellsville) bookended a 13-2 run for the Bison. Her first three of the run, gave Bethany a 28-26 advantage, and four minutes later, her second three put the Green & White up 38-28 with 12:29 remaining.

The Titans would need just three minutes to respond, outscoring the Bison by a 12-1 score, retaking a one-point lead, 40-39, with 9:54 to play. Westminster received two threes in the run, including connections from Rachel Durbin and Jenna Grandy.

In just the next four minutes, the lead would change hands six times. With the Bison holding a four-point lead (48-44) after a three by Gabrielle Naples (Salem, Ohio/South Range), Westminster would retake the lead once again, outscoring the Green & White 13-2 to take a seven-point lead, 57-50, with 2:47 to play.

Westminster would then hold the Bison to just three more points over the rest of the contest, handing Bethany the 62-53 defeat.

For the Bison, freshman Kelsea Daugherty posted her third-consecutive double-double, as she totaled 15 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. It also marked the third-straight game that Daugherty has broke or rebroke her own career mark for rebounds in one contest.

Naples also finished in double figures for Bethany, scoring 13 points off the bench. Hayley Holenka (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) and Tipton each contributed offensively as well, finishing with eight points, each.

As a team, the Bison held Westminster to 30.5 percent shooting from the field, but were outdone in the rebound department, 51-35. The Bison were also outscored by 12 points at the charity stripe as Bethany shot just 8-of-20 from the free throw line.

The Bison will be back in action on Saturday, January 17 as they return home for a Presidents' Athletic Conference contest against Washington & Jefferson. The matchup is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start.