By Lindsey Soet
On Dec. 16, the Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball lost a tough battle against Lansing Community College at the Ford Fieldhouse, losing 37-65 to LCC.
After struggling to keep the ball in bounds, freshman forward Ava Schultz put the Raiders on the board with 6:14 left in the first quarter trailing the Stars 2-5. Schultz’s shots sparked a brief scoring run for the Raiders, eventually leading by a score of 6-5. However, GRCC quickly began to lose possession of the ball, trailing LCC 6-16.
The second quarter proved to be difficult for the Raiders, as they continued to struggle to maintain possession of the ball with eight turnovers. Fortunately for the Raiders, the Stars racked up five fouls, allowing GRCC the chance to score some points off free throws. Schultz led the charge for GRCC, scoring 10 points in the first half. Despite this, the Raiders ended the first half down 19-30 to the Stars.
The Raiders struck first in the third quarter, with Schultz making a quick two-point shot nine seconds in. This gave GRCC some momentum, scoring an additional six points within the next three minutes. That momentum was short-lived, however, as the Stars continued to pull farther ahead, expanding their lead to 21 heading into the final quarter. GRCC ended the third quarter down 29-51.
The final quarter was not kind to GRCC, as the Raiders scored only eight points, while allowing eight turnovers and committed five fouls. The game ended 37-65.
Schultz led the Raiders with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Avery Jirous scored eight points, 12 rebounds, and two steals.
Coach Glazier said he believes that the Raider’s biggest challenge was the height and skill of the LCC team.
“…That team is really long, long and skilled,” Glazier said. “(LCC) does a lot of little things well, so when you run into a team that does a lot of little things well, you have to meet that.”
Despite the loss, Glazier said he was proud of his team’s performance and is hopeful that they will do well following the holiday break.
“I thought we were so much better today,” Glazier said. “We’re a young group learning how to be college athletes and college students. We’re going to take the holiday and focus on getting better individually and then honing in on some things that we can do well.”
The Raiders now have an overall record of 3-6. GRCC will be back in action at 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 against Southwestern Michigan College at the Ford Fieldhouse.
