FREMONT, Neb. – College of Saint Mary got off to a hot start, but couldn’t sustain it in a loss to Midland University Wednesday.
The Warriors won the Great Plains Athletic Conference contest 75-60.
The Flames started well and outscored the home team 16-12 in the opening quarter. Midland rallied in the second frame to best CSM 19-13 and hold a 31-29 advantage at the intermission. The Warriors then outscored College of Saint Mary 26-20 in the third quarter and 18-11 in the fourth frame for the win.
“I felt like the way we started the first quarter that we were going to be engaged and really play well,” CSM Coach Kirk Walker said. “We just couldn’t keep that energy up and we seemed very lethargic the last three quarters unfortunately.”
It was a game that was most likely circled on the calendar for both teams. The Flames and Warriors entered the contest as the bottom two teams in the conference standings and both searching for a much-needed win.
“We definitely had every opportunity to try and win this game, but we just didn’t execute the little things that we have to execute to have success,” Walker said.
CSM shot 38 percent from the floor, 25 percent from 3-point range and 65 percent from the free-throw line. Midland shot 51 percent, 38 percent and 61 percent, respectively. The Warriors won the rebounding category with 36, compared to CSM’s 33.
And foul trouble seemed to haunt the Flames, who sent Midland to the charity stripe 31 times compared to CSM’s 17 attempts.
Former Howells-Dodge standout Erin Prusa had 16 points for the Warriors.
Allisa Schubert (JR/Council Bluffs, Iowa) led College of Saint Mary with 13 points. Teammate Madelyn Turner (SR/Bennington, Neb.) also reached double figures with 11 points. Kaylin Garza (FR/Belle Fourche, S.D.) added 10 points and Clare Lewandowski (SR/Lincoln, Neb.) finished with eight. Lewandowski had a game-high seven rebounds and also swatted away four blocks. Kenzi Hoit (SR/Omaha, Neb.) pulled down six boards and dished out four assists.
“Lis Schubert shot the ball well from the perimeter, was aggressive on offense and played one of her better overall games,” Walker said. “I felt like Kenzi really competed and distributed the ball well. She also took care of the ball and rebounded well.”
The Flames drop to 2-17 in the GPAC and 5-20 overall. Midland improves to 2-17 and 4-20. CSM plays again on Saturday with a 2 p.m. home contest vs. Concordia University. It will be Senior Day for the Flames.
“I hope we can find a way to compete the last three games, find some successes that we can celebrate and find a way to get a win or two,” Walker said. “We are more than capable, but have to be more in tune to the little fundamental things that will help us be successful.”
