For the second consecutive year, the Roberts women's basketball team lost to the University of Rochester in the championship game of the 18th Annual Wendy's Women's College Classic. The contest was held at the Voller Athletic Center on Saturday, December 4, 2010 and the final score was 71-64.
Roberts went into the game missing junior guard
Morgan Skiff who suffered an ankle injury in practice and leading scorer,
Brittany McMillon, who also injured her ankle in the semi-final game v. Geneseo on Thursday. Despite the missing players, the teams were tied with 4 minutes and 54 seconds remaining in the first half. U of R went on a critical 11-0 run to end the half.
The Roberts women struggled to make up the deficit in the second half. Senior point guard
Cynnetha Bellinger closed the gap to 4 points when she nailed a 3 pointer at 5 minutes and sunk another 3 to put the Raiders within 5 points with 16 seconds remaining. In the end, the Raiders failed to avenge their loss from last year.
The Raiders forced 23 turnovers (while committing 15) and grabbed 11 steals, compared to the Yellowjackets' 4. Both teams shared the ball on the offensive end, as Roberts had 15 assists and U of R dished 17. The Yellowjackets won the boards 49-38.
Senior point guard
Tiffany Wilson led the Raiders with 18 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Sophomore guard
Marissa Bunce followed with 16 points and 2 assists. Both Wilson and Bunce were named to the All-tournament team. Junior forward
Brittany Williams added 11 points and junior forward
Bianca Jones finished with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Bellinger totaled 6 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Afterward Coach
Bob Segave said, “The team played really hard tonight. I was proud of the way we fought, in spite of all the injuries. Rochester is a solid team and certainly a measuring stick for women's basketball in the area. The run at the end of the first half was a big factor in the game. It would have been great to be at full strength, but we couldn't play any harder for sure.”
The Yellowjackets were led by tournament MVP Laney Ming with 14 points and All-tournament team selection Melissa Alwardt with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Raiders play Daemen College at home at the Voller Athletic Center this Tuesday, December 9, 2010. The AMC conference game tips off at 6:00PM.
