Lopes Comeback Falls Short
In a game that saw six lead changes and eight ties, the women's basketball team saw a second half comeback fall just short in a 63-61 loss to Frank Phillips College on a snowy Tuesday evening.
The first half saw both teams struggle out of the gate, with FPC scoring on their first possession, followed by over two minutes of scoreless basketball as the teams turned it over three times and combined to go 0-5 over that stretch. The Lopes finally got on the board on a Yazmeen Henderson put back with 7:41 to go. The two teams would trade baskets for most the rest of the quarter with no one enjoying more than a two point lead and the Plainsmen leading 14-13 after the first.
The second quarter saw Frank Phillips score the last six points of the half, taking a 30-23 lead into the break. For the first half both teams struggled shooting, with the visitors shooting 33% and the host, Lopes shooting 24%.
The third quarter saw the Lopes chip into the lead, cutting it by one and trailing 45-39 going into the final quarter. The fourth saw Lamar continue to chip away as they scored the first four points of the quarter. They came courtesy of a Sophia Trujillo three and a Tayler Dossey spin move in the post, cutting the lead to 45-44 with about 8:00 to go. Back to back FPC threes pushed it back to a seven point margin, 51-44 with just under 7:00 to go. The Lopes would continue to fight back, eventually gaining their first lead off two free-throws from Angie Lopez, 57-56. This would be the only time they would take the lead in the second half before the final buzzer.
The second half saw a much improved shooting performance for the Lopes, hitting 42% from the field, including 4-9 from three, and 12-15 from the line. They continued to play solid defense holding Frank Phillips 32% in the second half. For the game, Lamar hit on 6-18 from three, and 17-23 from the line. They also won the battle on the boards, 51-48, including a season high 15 offensive.
Individually, Althea Angeles lead in scoring with 16 points, while Jada Dupree and Trujillo added 10 each. Lopez led the rebounding with eight, four on the offensive glass. Angles added seven rebounds and four assists to round out an overall efficient night.
The Lopes fell to 2-1 on the year, while the Plainsmen are now 1-0. Lamar heads to Sterling this weekend to face off with Region 9 North foe and current NJCAA #11 ranked Casper College at 7:30 pm on Friday. They will then face the hosts, Northeastern Junior College at 2:30 pm on Saturday.