Lopers leave Eagle women 0-9 in RMAC
The Chadron State women’s basketball team took the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers to the court last Saturday in the Armstrong Gymnasium.
Kaitlin Petri, senior of Kearney, transferred from UNK last season and was the Eagles’ special ingredient to beating the Lopers by 1 point in the last two seconds of the game when the Lopers came to Armstrong Gymnasium in the first matchup between rivals last season.
Petri was unable to help out her teammates this season due to a lower leg injury. As of Jan. 1, she has been ruled out for the season.
The Lopers stole one from the Eagles by a final score of 79-64, as they dominated the paint and the boards and received a 23-point performance from their leading scorer Megan Baker.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the opening minutes as Kelsey Scott, junior of Douglas, Wyo., sank a 3-pointer, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead. However, the Lopers quickly took the lead after an early turnover and four of the next seven Kearney points were made by junior Vanessa Leeper.
The Lopers maintained the advantage throughout the remaining first period entering halftime with a 20-point margin of 37-17.
The Eagles came out strong in the second half, scoring 10 points in the first 5 minutes. They slowly chipped away points but could not close the remaining 10-point gap. In the last 4 minutes of the half, UNK racked up 16 points, widening the gap.
The Eagles fought back in the few final minutes, chipping away at the Lopers’ 15-point lead before time expired. The charge fell short, however, as the Lopers closed out the game with a final score of 79-64.
Kearney outscored Chadron 17-37 in the first half off of 14-24 shooting (58 FG%) for a game total of 55%. CSC posted 6-32 first-half shooting (19 FG%) for a final tally of 32%.
The Eagles were led in scoring by freshman Jazmyn Webster, of Cheyenne, Wyo., who scored 13 points. Three other Eagles joined Webster in double digits: sophomores Betsy Moler, sophomore guard of Rapid City, S.D., with 12 and Marla Munsen, sophomore guard of Hershey, with 11. Junior guard Kelsey Scott of Douglas, Wyo., added 10.
The Eagles, now 2-11 overall, travel this weekend to New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico to look for the team’s first RMAC win.