CLINTON, Iowa - The Ashford University (7-10, 1-5 MCC) women's basketball team overcame a 14-point deficit, but came up short in the end against Waldorf College on Saturday, falling 83-68, in Midwest Collegiate Conference play.
Both teams displayed pink in their on-court attire in commemoration for the Women's Basketball Coaches Assocation's Pink Zone game to heighten breast cancer awareness. Proceeds generated by Ashford from concessions and admission will go directly to benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
The Saints showed off matching pink socks while Waldorf players honored the event by wearing a variety of pink accessories including shoes, headbands and wristbands. Both head coaches, Chris Powers (Ashford) and Denny Jerome (Waldorf), wore pink shirts on the sidelines.
Ashford dropped
its fourth straight game despite a season-high 15 points from senior forward
Bethany Mahmens of
Waldorf broke an eighth-place tie in the league standings with the win.
The visiting Warriors (6-12, 2-4 MCC) showed off their balanced scoring attack with all five starters scoring in double-digits, led by Sarah Swanson's game-high 18. Waldorf came into today's game averaging four players in double-digit scoring on the season.
Waldorf forward Rachel Hannam was three assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 17 rebounds and seven helpers.
But Ashford
was not far behind with four players finding double-digits in the scoring
column thanks to 1,000-point club member Mahmens, Shel'si Weaver (10) of
"We didn't clamp down hard enough on a few defensive possessions and Waldorf was able to make some close baskets," AU Head Coach Chris Powers said. "We still need to cut down on the number of our turnovers and take care of the ball a little bit better. But we came back from a tough hole in the first half."
Ashford came out strong with a 9-3 lead before Waldorf knotted things up with a 6-0 run. After a jumper by junior Kayla Crist of Stanwood, to break the tie, the Warriors rattled off a 15-0 run, holding the Saints scoreless for about four minutes.
Down by nine at the half, the Saints started chipping away and seized second-period momentum by matching Waldorf with a 15-0 run of its own capped by a 3-pointer by Fisher to take the lead, 62-61, with just over eight minutes remaining.
But Waldorf ended its five-minute scoring drought and starting pulling away after back-to-back treys by Swanson and Mollie Franzen.
A team technical foul assessed to Ashford for a late substitution took the wind out of the Saints' sails and Waldorf led by at least 10 the rest of the way out as AU tried to make the Warriors earn their points at the charity stripe down the stretch.
Ashford
will look to get back on the winning track in
