Women’s basketball struggles on road trip

The women’s basketball team has made huge strides and gained confidence for conference play.

Georgia College women’s basketball has had a tough few weeks.

The team is undergoing a big transformation with only two returning players. With nine freshmen this year, there are a lot of opportunities for these young players to stand out.

The Bobcats won their conference last season under first-year Head Coach, Maurice Smith. The girls had a very good season last year and are using it as motivation to have another successful year.

“The team is getting better and better every practice,” Assistant Coach Toby Wagoner said. “You can see the improvement when it comes time for games. The experience the girls are getting now is preparing them for conference games.”

Friday, Nov. 18, the Bobcats played in the X-Trem Tipoff Classic at North Georgia College and State University and lost to the University of North Alabama, 57-54. The Bobcats were led by sophomore forward Abby Slocumb with 13 points. On top of Slocumb’s career high, she also added eight rebounds, one steal and one assist. She went five for six from the free-throw line and was four for five from the field.

“It felt good knocking down shots while still getting eight rebounds,” Slocumb said. “We are out performing in a different degree than other teams. We gain experience and motivation every game.”

The following night, the Bobcats lost another to Trevecca Nazarene University 61-58. The Bobcats went into halftime leading 33-27 thanks to freshman Shanteona Keys, who hit two clutch-threes in the first half, one of which was at the buzzer.

The Bobcats started the second half strong holding their lead, but ultimately couldn’t hang on to it. Keys, alongside sophomore Krysta Lewis, led the team in scoring. Keys had 19 points and five rebounds. Keys was 7-18 from the field and 5-11 from the three-point line. Lewis added 16 points, going 6-13 from the floor, and three rebounds. Senior Myeshia Simms led the team with 10 assists and scored eight points.

On Nov. 22, GC fell to Winston-Salem, 71-46. Despite the losses the team has had many players step up each game. Simms, Keys and freshman Belinda Schaafsma all scored in double digits against Winston-Salem. Keys was the leading scorer again with 16 points. The team put up a good fight with Simms playing the entire game adding 10 points and seven assists. Schaafsma contributed 10 points and snagged seven rebounds.

Their road trip continued to the University of West Georgia after three consecutive losses. The first half was messy on both sides with each team shooting under 40 percent from the field, the Bobcats at 36 and West Georgia at 23. Overall, the Bobcats shot better as a team in the first half, but their 15 turnovers, six more than the Wolves, prevented them from taking the half, down 22-19 at the whistle.

The Wolves kept a controlling lead in the second half. The Bobcats did out-rebound the Wolves 40 to 30, but turned the ball over 29 times. Going up 18 with two minutes remaining, West Georgia took the night 54-38.

“Everything this team does is a first for everyone except two players,” Head Coach Maurice Smith said. “Every school we play is an eye-opening experience, therefore intensity goes up.”

The freshman on this team are getting far more experience than the majority of freshman on other teams they play. The Bobcats are a young team but are not afraid to put up a solid fight. Their next game is at home on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 against Allen University.

Posted by Caroline Edmond on Dec 1 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.