The Roberts women (7-2, 1-0 AMC) defeated SUNY Geneseo (4-2) 67-58 in the semi-final round of the Wendy's College Classic on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at the Voller Athletic Center.
The Raiders started strong, beginning the game with a 16-4 run and leading 31-23 at the half. The Knights fought back, however, and made an 11-0 run in the second half, taking a their only lead of the game at 45-44 lead with 9 minutes and 31 seconds remaining after a layup by Alyssa Polosky. Weakened by an ankle injury which took the team's leading scorer
Brittany McMillon out of the game, the Raiders responded with a 7 – 0 run keyed by two foul shots by sophomore forward
Lindsay Kendall, a jumper by senior point guard
Tiffany Wilson, and a three pointer by sophomore guard
Marissa Bunce to lead 51-45. The Roberts women maintained their lead for the remaining seven minutes of play, despite the Blue Knights coming within 5 points after a foul shot by Khadkija Campbell with 45 seconds on the clock.
The rebounding battle was close, but the Raiders came out on top 49-42. The Roberts women also made 17 steals, compared to Geneseo's 9. The Raiders forced 23 turnovers while committing 16. The Blue Knights connected on 19 for their 25 free throw attempts at 76%, compared to the Raiders who were 16 for 26 at 61.5%.
The Raiders were led by Bunce and junior forward
Brittany Williams who each contributed 14 points. Williams also added 4 steals. Wilson also hit double figures, finishing with 12 points and 5 steals. Junior forward
Sarah Child totaled 6 points and 11 boards. The Blue Knights were led by Alyssa Polosky who scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards, and Bri Dunton who finished with 11 points. Khadija Campbell added 8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
“This was certainly a struggle.” said
Bob Segave after the game. “Geneseo really made us work for everything we got. They hit some big shots, but I was proud of the way our team responded to
Brittany McMillon going down, and them taking the lead. So many players stepped up and really did what they needed to do. We struggled to hit some free throws down the stretch, but then Tiffany (Wilson) and Cee Bee (Bellinger) each hit 2 to close it out. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing the University of Rochester Saturday.”
The Raiders will play in the Wendy's College Classic championship game against the University of Rochester for the second consecutive year on Saturday December 4, 2010 at 5:30 at the Voller Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast live on
www.wysl1040am.com.
