Bethel women fall to 2-2 in KCAC play in loss to Saint Mary
Bethel women fall to 2-2 in KCAC play in loss to Saint Mary
The Threshers fell to Saint Mary on Saturday, shooting 17-for-35 from the free-throw line.
The Bethel women’s basketball team fell to Saint Mary 85-63 on Saturday, on a night that saw the Threshers shoot 17-for-35 on free-throw attempts.
“It was one of those nights where they [Saint Mary] got to go wherever they wanted to,” said interim head coach Rocky Lamar. “We did not do a good job of boxing out and helping down low and we have to shoot it better from the free throw line. When you go 17 for 35 it is pretty tough [to win].”
Along with the Threshers' tough night from the stripe, they also struggled inside on the boards, getting out-rebounded 40-39, including giving up 12 offensive rebounds. Unfortunately, this has been a consistent theme for the Thresher women, who are being out-rebounded by an average of 10 rebounds per game so far in the young season.
The Threshers were coming off their best game of the season and did not perform how they wanted to against Saint Mary, and Lamar is challenging his team to find their identity before they take on the rest of conference play.
“We need to figure out who we are,” said Lamar. “We need to lay our egos aside and just become a great team. That’s what we need to work on every night out.”
While Bethel struggled on defense, giving up their most points in a game since Nov. 3rd against Hastings College, the Threshers did see their highest point total from an individual against Ottawa, due to Natalie Richards’ 28 points on 77% shooting from the field.
Freshman Madyson McKinzie was the only other Thresher in double figures, scoring 17 points, and leading the team with nine rebounds. Other stats leaders were freshman Kendall Locke, with four assists and two blocks, and Carley Robb who added three steals for the Threshers.
Lamar poses two questions to his team to ensure that they are ready to go for their next game:
“How can we become a better team?” asks Lamar. “How can I make the girl next to me better?”
With those questions in mind, the Threshers hope to bounce back from a tough home loss in a game that sees the Threshers travel to Winfield to take on the Moundbuilders on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.