02/01/08

After outlasting William Jewell College in a spirited overtime battle, 63-60, the Wildcats couldn't hold off a surging Avila University team that outscored Baker 50-41 in the last 25 minutes of the game.Season at a glance<a href="womenbasketball">Season at a glance</a> Season at a glance

Head coach Susan Decker said the timing of the game might have hurt her young team.

“I believe the Avila game came at a difficult time for this team,” Decker said. “Just coming off a huge win at William Jewell and then turning around and playing on the road again in two days was difficult. We did not do the little things to help us win that game.”

While she made no attempts to excuse her team’s loss, Decker said her team might have been facing some weary legs against Avila.

“I am sure fatigue played a factor,” Decker said. “But I do not believe it was the only reason. We did not make plays and get defensive stops when we needed them.”

Senior Allie Heinen led the ‘Cats with 18 points while junior Kaitlin Schneden added 12 of her own, but a positive sign for Baker was the 10 points junior Hannah Eagleman dropped in coming off the bench.

Eagleman, who finished the game 5-for-5 from the field, said it felt good to contribute but was still disappointed with the loss.

“Obviously, it’s nice to help the team out and make buckets,” Eagleman said. “I just wish we could have held Avila off and gotten the win.”

At the University of Arkansas, former head coach Nolan Richardson orchestrated an offense and defense that he branded “40 Minutes of Hell.” His Razorbacks would fly around the court putting as much pressure on the opposition as possible.

When the Baker women’s basketball team traveled Jan. 24 to Liberty, Mo., it had to face a team that would make Richardson smile. William Jewell flies around the court for 40 minutes putting a ton of pressure on its opposition.

However, the Wildcats found a way to combat the Cardinals’ pressure with resiliency and determination, Decker said.

“The difference in the William Jewell game was that the kids played their hearts out and made free throws, and we were great on the boards,” Decker said.

Decker said beating a team of William Jewell’s caliber is definitely a boost for a maturing team.

“Obviously, the win was really big for our program, and it helps build the confidence of a young team,” Decker said. “I think we proved not only to ourselves but to the rest of the conference that we have a lot of potential if we can put it together on the same night.”

After losing to Avila, Baker found itself clustered in the middle of the conference race. Despite this, Decker said she likes her team’s chances in the coming weeks.

“I am pleased with where we are at this point,” Decker said. “Although we could be in a much better position had we not lost the Avila game. I still feel as though we can finish in the top four and host a first round playoff game.”

Sophomore Kendra Schaefer said she liked the team’s chances as well.

“We slipped up in the Avila game,” Schaefer said. “But we will come out strong against (MidAmerica Nazarene University) and compete. From here on out we just have to compete in every game, and we should get the results we want.”

The Wildcats hosted conference leader MidAmerica Nazarene Thursday in the Collins Center. However, results were unavailable at presstime.