BELOIT, Wis. — Behind a balanced offensive attack and a suffocating interior defense, the Beloit College Women's basketball team secured a 70-61 victory over Rockford University this evening at Flood Arena.
Led by Julia Kennedy's (South Milwaukee, WI) 19-point performance and a dominant defensive showing from Hailey Johnson (South Milwaukee, Wis.), the Buccaneers improved to 4-5 on the season, handing Rockford (0-7) their seventh straight loss.
While the final score shows a nine-point margin, the game was defined by a crucial momentum shift late in the first half.
After a tight first quarter, the Regents managed to knot the score at 17-17 midway through the second period following a layup by Katie Paredes. The Buccaneers responded with a decisive defensive clamp-down.
Sparked by a steal and a fast-break layup from Kennedy at the 4:10 mark, the Buccaneers orchestrated a blistering 13-2 run to close out the half. Kaitlin Davis (Platte City, Mo.) added a steal and a layup during the stretch, and Aina Mallorqui (Valls, Spain) contributed valuable minutes off the bench. A late 3-pointer by Bailey Darneal (Colorado Springs, CO) with just three seconds remaining in the half sent Beloit into the locker room with a commanding 30-19 lead.
Beloit would not relinquish that lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Buccaneers' "Big Three" of Kennedy, Johnson, and Davis proved too much for the Regents to handle. Kennedy paced the offense with a career-high and team-high 19 points, including two three-pointers and a perfect 5-of-6 performance from the free-throw line during crunch time. She also swiped three steals. Johnson was a force in the paint on both ends of the floor. She finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds but made her biggest impact defensively, recording a game-high four blocked shots and two steals. Davis filled the stat sheet with an exceptional all-around performance. She tallied 10 points, pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds, and dished out a game-high 5 assists.
Rockford made several attempts to rally in the second half, relying heavily on Paredes (23 points) and Te Simpson (17 points). The Regents cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to 62-54 with under three minutes to play.
However, Davis delivered the play of the night at the 2:45 mark. Davis drove for a layup through contact, drawing a foul and converting the three-point play to push the lead back to 11. In the final minute, Kennedy iced the game at the charity stripe to secure the win.
The Buccaneers return to Midwest Conference action on Saturday, December 13th on the road in Jacksonville, Illinois. Tip off between the Bucs and Lady Blues is set for 3 pm from Sherman Gymnasium.
