Colorado College’s women’s basketball finished up their season last weekend against Trinity University and Schreiner University. The team lost both games, but strong individual performances are optimistic signs for next year.
On Friday, Trinity, the conference leader, came out hard and fast, racking up 16 points in the first quarter before the Tigers even got on the board. By the end of the first quarter, Trinity was leading 23-3 and the Tigers were never able to recover.
The Tigers got more shots off in the second quarter, adding 21 more points. But Trinity was a step ahead, maintaining their significant lead. The game went into halftime with a 24-45 score.
In the last quarter, Trinity gained their largest lead of the game, 31 points, at the 1:14 mark. But even in the last minute, the Tigers were still fighting back and getting on the board.
A layup by freshman guard Casey Torbet and a three-pointer by freshman guard Molly Gillis added five points for the Tigers in just 50 seconds. The game ended 46-74.
“Trinity came out with a real aggressive press,” said Head Coach Liz Doran. “Even though we prepared for their pressure defense we didn’t execute at the level we are capable of. We play our best ball when we are aggressive, not on our heels like we were in the first quarter…After we settled down, we were fairly competitive in the final three quarters.”
The Tigers faced another tough battle against Schreiner University. Torbet put the Tigers on the board first with a layup. The teams remained very even for the first four minutes, then Schreiner pulled into the lead, 11-6. The Tigers followed closely behind Schreiner for the rest of the quarter, ending 12-23.
The teams were very evenly matched in the second quarter, with Schreiner scoring 17 while CC scored 15. But that wasn’t enough to counteract Schreiner’s first quarter lead.
Schreiner significantly outshot CC in both the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers reduced their deficit from 27 to 15. The game ended 60-75.
Despite the loss, CC had several strong individual performances. Davis had a 75 shooting percentage from the floor and led the team with 24 points. Senior guard Katie Wirth and Torbet both posted double figures for the Tigers as well. The Tigers also outrebounded Schreiner, 43-38. Junior forward Korbyn Ukasick led the team with nine rebounds.
“I thought we played hard during the Schreiner game,” said Doran. “We moved the ball pretty well on offense and had solid contributions from our seniors Danielle Davis and Katie Wirth.”
The team finished the season with a 4-21 record overall and 3-11 in conference.
“It was hard bringing in six or seven freshman this year and so we had a lot of new learning going on but I think that overall we became a really solid team and really bonded and some really great moments,” said Torbet. “Our record doesn’t necessarily show that, but we definitely improved from the first game to the last game.”
Some upset wins within the conference, such as Dallas beating Southwestern, means that the Tigers will not be moving on to the post-season tournament. But with such a young team, there remains a lot of room to grow in the upcoming seasons.
“I think all of us freshman got a lot of experience this year that will really help fill the spots the seniors left for us,” said Torbet.