Sports

Ladyjacks take UTTC at home, can’t get past WSC, FBCC on the road

By Tyler Ohmann

01/21/2014

It was a bumpy week for the Dakota College at Bottineau women’s basketball team.

The Ladyjacks won their first game of the week last Monday when they topped United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in a crucial game in the Woodshed 87-72.

It went downhill from there as the Ladyjacks were bested 70-47 by Williston State College (WSC) last Thursday, and then fell 87-59 to Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC) last Saturday.

First on Monday DCB used a strong offensive effort to take down the Thunderbirds in Bottineau.

The Ladyjacks shot 54 percent from the field, including a 10-for-23 night from beyond the arc to get the first win that will determine the host of the Region XIII Tournament.

“It certainly was not a pretty game and lacked good pace due to the number of fouls and stoppage of play,” stated DCB head coach Wayne Johnson. “In spite of that we are very pleased with the victory. We were very happy with our shooting percentages from the field.”

Freshman Imani Scott had 27 points to lead the scoring effort for the Ladyjacks. Scott’s night included a 7-for-11 night from three point range. Savannah Bruce added 20 points, and sophomore Tiffany Bradford had 16 points for the Ladyjacks. Leah Parizek, a sophomore, had a team-best seven rebounds.

As good as Monday’s game at home was, it was the opposite on the road as they fell behind in the first half, and could not catch up against a strong Tetons team in Williston.

WSC led 37-19 at halftime, and DCB’s shooting dropped to 35 percent in the game. The Tetons out rebounded the Ladyjacks 43-14.

“This was really a disappointing and tough night for us,” Johnson stated. “We have been playing well lately and have had some good, productive practices but tonight was a step backwards.”

Bruce led the way for the Ladyjacks and had 22 points, and she helped them to trail only 11-10 early on.

“I thought their aggressive play really bothered us,” Johnson stated. “Their defense gave us plenty of problems and their attacking play really hurt us on the boards.”

The discrepancy on the boards was a focal point for Johnson.

“We were in position for the rebound often but they made the play and we did not,” Johnson stated. “We need to improve our toughness on the boards and we also need more people to step up offensively.”

DCB could not bounce back on Saturday as they traveled to take on FBCC.

Again the Ladyjacks struggled from the field, and shot a lowly 29 percent, including 6-for-28 from three point, and under 50 percent from the free throw line.

They trailed 44-28 to FBCC at halftime, and could not improve in the second half, which led to a 28-point defeat.

“This was one of those games requiring a short term memory from our team,” Johnson stated. “We did not play well and we ran into a team who did.”

Scott had 14 points to lead the Ladyjacks, and Bruce added 11 and six rebounds.

“We struggled shooting the ball and that created a frustrating afternoon,” Johnson stated. “It’s done and we need to move on.”

The Ladyjacks also played the Canadian Mennonite Univeristy Blazers last night, but scores and stats were unavailable by press time.

DCB (10-10) will travel to Wahpeton to take on the North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Thursday.