Trojan women fall in season opener to Ave Maria (Fla.)
Greg Gorham
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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The 2013-14 Trinity International Trojan women's basketball campaign got off to a rocky start Friday night, as the team fell to the Ave Maria (Fla.) Gyrenes, 66-56, in the team's opening game of the LaQuinta Classic. The Trojans committed 30 turnovers on the night, leading to 21 Ave Maria points on the other end of the floor.
"We just have to play smarter," said head coach Laurel Wartluft after the game. "We need to have better decision making under fire. The players responded well to the adjustments we made during the game, and I think we really competed well. We just weren't able to finish when the pressure was on." Senior Clarissa Woodard finished with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Trojans, picking up a double-double in the season's opening game. In all, three players finished in double figures for TIU, with DeAndra Wright scoring 12, and Basha Ramsey pitching in with 11 points.
The Trojans (0-1) held an early lead thanks in part to Ramsey's quick start. The Centerville, Ohio native scored the team's first two field goals to put TIU ahead 2-0, and then 4-2 in the opening minute. The Gyrenes (1-0) claimed an 8-7 lead on a Tamica Mora layup at the 16:30 mark, giving her team a lead they would hold throughout the rest of the first half.
Ave Maria's edge was just one point, when a Daja Johnson foul sent the Gyrenes into the bonus at the 8:37 mark of the first half. From that point until halftime, The Gyrenes outscored the Trojans 17-4, including seven points from the charity stripe. Trinity International went into the break trailing 35-23, but held a 27-24 edge in the rebounding battle, and held even with the Gyrenes with an equal 12 points in the paint.
The lead grew in the second half to as much as 15, when Yvanessa Vincent scored on a layup at the 9:12 mark. The Trojans would trim the lead down over the next three minutes to just nine points, after a pair of free throws from Abigail Hemmeger, but Ave Maria responded with a quick 5-0 run to build their lead back up. TIU outscored the Gyrenes in the paint in the second half, 14-10, and had six more second-chance points than AMU after intermission, 8-2.
Ramsey nearly joined Woodard with a double-double of her own, collecting nine rebounds to go with her 11 points. DeAndra Wright was TIU's top shooter from long range, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The Trojans will regroup and play again Saturday, when they host the Robert Morris-Springfield Eagles in the final women's game of the LaQuinta Classic. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
