Following Wednesday night's win at Glen Oaks, the Marian University Ancilla Women's Basketball team wasn't sure if they'd have three of their top four scorers available for Saturday's matchup against the 20th ranked Lansing Stars. All three chose to suit up, and all three played admirably in a hard-fought, down to the wire, 64-63 loss.
Freshman guard Aaliyah Keil has been fighting off an injury she sustained a couple of weeks ago and missed Wednesday's game in its entirety, while Sophomore wing De'Mour Watson has been battling illness all week but played through it Wednesday, and Freshman guard Annika Davis was injured in the first half Wednesday at Glen Oaks, so her status was unclear coming into the Lansing contest.
No excuses, the Chargers battled an MCCAA heavyweight in Lansing and had their chances to win, including on the game's final possession. However, the lead swayed back and forth throughout the matchup, and the Chargers fell a single point short of victory.
Lansing began the game on a 10-2 run, forcing Marian Ancilla Head Coach Ryan Gould to use one of his timeouts. Freshman forward Santana Eubanks made a layup, then Freshman guard Annika Davis made her next three 3-point attempts, and suddenly it was just 14-13 Lansing with 2:51 left in the 1st. The teams then traded baskets with Lansing leading 23-19 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter belonged to the Chargers, as they came out motivated and went on a 22-3 run, with the Stars only making three free throws. It wasn't until Lansing buried a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left that they had a field goal in the period. Add a Watson free throw, and Marian Ancilla entered halftime up 42-29.
As much as the Chargers set the tone in the second quarter, Lansing owned the third. Marian Ancilla only made three free throws themselves, and they turned it over nearly 10 times, before Davis finally made a runner at the 1:44 mark in the quarter. The Stars outscored the Chargers 16-7 in the third, trimming the lead to 49-45.
The stage was set for a battle in the fourth, but again the Chargers struggled to find points. Lansing began the period with the first 10 points, reclaiming and extending their lead to 55-49. The Stars led by as many as 7 points at 61-54 when Eubanks made a free throw at the 4:19 mark. Over the next two and a half minutes, the Chargers outscored Lansing 6-1, with all seven of those points coming from the charity stripe.
Marian Ancilla was then able to get out in transition after a stop, and Watson made a beautiful assist to Eubanks for a tough lay-in, tying it at 62-62. Over the final 1:01 of the game, Lansing knocked down 2 of 4 free throws, opening the door for the Chargers to complete their comeback, but multiple turnovers and missed shot opportunities plagued the white and gold, and they could only muster a single free throw, causing them to fall, 64-63.
Marian Ancilla was led by Davis' 21 points, while Eubanks added 20 points and 10 rebounds for yet another double-double this season. Watson contributed 6 points and 7 rebounds in a reserve role.
The Chargers continue their MCCAA conference season with two games this coming week. First, they will host Grand Rapids Community College on Wednesday, January 22nd. This is the first year the Raiders are in the Western Division. Then, next Saturday, January 25th, the Chargers will travel to Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Please come out and support the Chargers, if you are able!!
