The Tiger's Women's Basketball team hosted their first home game on Tuesday, November 11 when the Spartans of Southwest Community College came to town. An ICCAC matchup of the two 0-2 teams was played in front of a lively student section eager to get a look at the 2018-2019 team that features eight new faces and lone returner, Anna Jaumandreu. Unfortunately, the home crowd will have to wait until another night to watch the Tigers pick up a win.
A slow start by the Tigers combined with an efficient first quarter doomed the Tigers as they fell behind early with a 7-0 run by the Spartans. The visiting team went on to control the first quarter and lead 23-7 after the first ten minutes. The Tigers couldn't get much going as they shot just 3-18 from the field and 0-4 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 47.1% from the field and converted six of their seven free throw attempts.
The second quarter didn't fare much better for the Tigers offensively as again they managed to score seven points. However, the defense of the Tigers showed new life by switching into a zone and held SWCC to only eight points. The Tigers entered halftime looking to make some adjustments as they trailed 31-14.
The third quarter saw the Tigers offense come to life. Danielle Smith emerged as an inside presence for the Tigers as their 18 third quarter points more than doubled their production from each of the first two quarters. The Spartans hung tough though and didn't let MCC cut too far into the lead as they remained ahead 46-32 after three quarters.
With a glimmer of hope after the third quarter, the Tigers looked to continue to chip away at the start of the fourth quarter. However, turnovers proved costly in trying to make a run. The Tigers committed 20 turnovers in the game compared to just 7 by the visiting Spartans. The turnover difference combined with a rebounding deficit of 13 proved costly as the Spartans were able to attempt ten more shots than the Tigers. In the end, the Tigers efforts came up short as they lost 62-41.
Head Coach, Steve Garber was pleased with the way Danielle Smith played though, stating: "Tonight we saw some glimpses of good interior play from Danielle Smith with some offensive production." Smith led the team in scoring with twelve points on 3-8 shooting. "We will build on these small steps and find our way with others and their roles as well."
Garber and company will continue to look to pick up their first win on Friday, November 9 when they take on the NIACC Trojans as part of the Dale Howard Classic hosted by Ellsworth Community College.
