Lady Wildcats Fall to #11 Pioneers in Fourth Quarter
Canton, MO – The Culver-Stockton Wildcats faced the nationally ranked #11 MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers in a Heart of America Athletic Conference women’s matchup. The Pioneers, currently the top seed in the conference, entered the contest riding high in the national rankings. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were looking to rebound after a hard-fought loss to the conference’s second-ranked team, the Benedictine Ravens, which snapped their impressive 11-game winning streak.
MidAmerica Nazarene jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before the Wildcats got on the scoreboard with a Paige Henson three-pointer from the top of the key. The Pioneers maintained control throughout the quarter, steadily extending their advantage, but the Wildcats rallied late to trim the deficit and end the first quarter trailing 13-8.
The Pioneers capitalized on their height advantage, dominating the paint and widening their lead. Junior Kameron Green led the charge with 10 of the team’s 12 points in the stretch. The Wildcats would find 11 points of their own. With 8 of those points coming off the bench. However, the Cats still found themselves down 25-19 at the half.
The third quarter saw little change, as both teams scored 15 points, leaving the score 40-34 heading into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats would continue to battle in the fourth, even bringing the game within four points. But the Pioneers would put on more offense to get away with the win, to keep themselves in the top spot. Coach Burgin was really optimistic about her team’s performance and how they handled the challenge of playing a nationally ranked team. “Mid-America is number 11 in the country, and the fact that we held them well below their scoring average is a huge, huge feat, and we gave ourselves a chance to win going down the stretch. We just made a couple of key mistakes and could have knocked down some shots, which ultimately led to our demise today.”
The Wildcats fall to 16-8 (10-6) as they now sit fifth in the conference. They will head on the road to hold on to their spot, taking on the Central Methodist Eagles in Fayette, Mo., on February 11th, with a 5:30 slated tipoff. This is one of four games left in the regular season, and their last road game. As Coach Burgin feels that if they capitalize, they could finish the season strong before the conference tournament. “We have a really good chance of holding down the fort. We just got to capitalize, you know. We can’t just assume that we’re going to win these next games. We have to show up, and we have to make them understand that we’re here to compete, and we’re here to win to take that spot and stay in the top four.”
KEY STATS
Culver-Stockton 16-8 (10-6): 8, 12, 15, 11
Paige Henson – 13 PTS
Hayley Webb – 6 REB
Misora Nambara – 5 AST
#11 MidAmerica Nazarene 19-3 (15-1): 13, 12, 15, 18
Kameron Green – 24 PTS
Zaylee Werth – 10 REB
Kameron Green – 6 AST
