The Roberts women's basketball team made a solid start to their journey in the Wendy's College Classic on November 30, 2010 when they defeated St. John Fisher at Fisher's home court, 88-49. This was only the second time that Fisher has lost in the opening round in the 18 years that they have participated in this yearly tournament.
Three minutes into the contest, the Raiders were ahead 9-0, 5 of their points coming from junior forward
Bianca Jones. The Cardinals closed the gap to 4 points after a layup by Colleen Maloney with 7 minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the first half, but this was the closest they came. The Raiders went on to make a 20-7 run, closing the half 37-20. The second half was much the same. The Cardinals came within 15 points, but the Raiders continued to perform offensively, outscoring their opponents 51-29.
The Lady Raiders only committed 12 turnovers and shot 42.1% from the field, compared to the Cardinals' 30.4%. The Raiders were also 7 for 13 (at 53.8%) from the 3-point arc compared to the Cardinals who only connected on 1 of 17 attempts.
The Lady Raiders were very active on the defensive end, forcing 21 turnovers and grabbing 17 steals, compared to Fisher's 4. They also won the rebound battle 56-40.
Roberts demonstrated balance in their scoring with 5 players in double figures. Senior forward
Brittany McMillon led the way with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. Jones had a double double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior forward
Brittany Williams added 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. Sophomore forward
Lindsay Kendall contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds. Junior forward
Sarah Child ended the game with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Senior point guard
Tiffany Wilson totaled 6 points and 6 assists.
The Cardinals were led by Colleen Maloney who scored 18 points and Stephanie Sweeney who finished with 11 points.
“This was a great way to start the Wendy's College Classic,” said fourth year head coach
Bob Segave.”Having to play a program as strong as St. John Fisher on their court in the first round is quite a challenge. Knowing that they had only lost once in the first round in the history of the tournament was another cause for concern, but the team was really focused tonight. Brittany (McMillon) was really on her game and Tiffany (Wilson) set the tone early with her aggressiveness in attacking the basket and on the defensive end. Our bench was really great again tonight too. Kendall and Williams had great all around games. We are looking forward to the next challenge in the tournament. I am happy we get to go home for the next two.”
Roberts will advance to the Classic semi-finals on Thursday December 2, 2010 against Geneseo at the Voller Athletic Center at 8 P.M. The game can be heard on
www.wysl1040am.com.
