02/15/08

Despite a strong start, the Wildcats’ bid for an upset was denied by the Benedictine College Ravens Monday in Atchison.

For nearly the first eight minutes of the game, Baker found itself with control of the game and an early lead.

Season at a glance

The tide turned quickly for the ‘Cats though when Benedictine guards Angeline Finazzo, Drew Huff and forward Courtney Edmonds drilled three straight 3-pointers that capped off a turn-around that took Baker from a 7-point advantage to a 9-point deficit.

The Ravens did not relinquish the lead again and took the game, 74-67.

Head coach Susan Decker said a lack of perimeter defense hurt the ‘Cats’ cause.

“In the first half, our lack of defensive intensity and guarding at the 3-point line hurt us,” Decker said. “We gave up 14 threes in the first half, and they made seven of them.”

For basketball fans, the first half was a thing of beauty. In the first 20 minutes of action, the two teams committed just 12 turnovers combined, and both teams shot over 54 percent.

Leading by seven points with more than 13 minutes left in the half, the Wildcats saw themselves in a solid position, sophomore Tayler Stacks said.

“We started the game playing really good basketball,” she said. “Early in the game we gained confidence against a very good team, but then they went on a big run that hurt us.”

The Ravens turned up the pressure and flipped the scoreboard in their favor. Benedictine went on a 23-9 run over a 7-minute span and took a 33-26 lead with just over six minutes left before the halftime break.

Benedictine’s offense continued the shooting display before the half connecting on seven of its next 12 shots to take a 48-35 advantage into the half.

The ‘Cats started the second half hitting three straight baskets in the first three minutes and cut the lead to just eight points. However, the Ravens immediately pushed the lead back to double digits.

Baker dug deep into the well and managed an 11-3 run to close within four points with just under 10 minutes left in the game.

Benedictine would push the lead to 12 late in the game before finally closing the game out with a 7-point win.

In the end, the early lead the Ravens built was too much for the ‘Cats to overcome, junior Whitney Rogers said.

“The thing is that we outplayed Benedictine in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit that we created for ourselves in the first half,” she said.

The Wildcats were paced by the 21-point effort of senior Allie Heinen.

The Lindenwood University Lions came to town Saturday afternoon looking to avenge an earlier loss to Baker. The Lions would leave town empty handed as the ‘Cats claimed a season sweep and a 62-56 win.

Heinen once again paced the Wildcats with 16 points while freshman Aubree Gustin dropped in 13 of her own.

On Feb. 7, Gustin and junior Kaitlin Schneden each grabbed a double-double as the ‘Cats outlasted Graceland University for a 75-72 win.

Gustin had 22 points and 13 boards while Schneden went for 16 and 10.

Despite another 20-point performance from Heinen, Baker fell to Culver-Stockton College Thursday in the Collins Center,48-43.

Schneden also chipped in 11 points in the loss. The ‘Cats move to 15-13 overall and remain above .500 in the conference.

The Wildcats will return to action Thursday for Senior Night against Missouri Valley College in the Collins Center. Seniors include Heinen and Erin Oliver.

Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s basketball game at 7:30 p.m.