By Lindsey Soet
After a long weekend up north, the Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team battled rival Muskegon Community College on Jan. 24 at the Ford Fieldhouse. Despite a dominant first half and 19 points from freshman forward Ava Schultz, the Raiders fell short and lost to the Jayhawks 61-53.
The Raiders dominated time of possession in the first quarter, rarely giving up the ball and causing seven turnovers from the Jayhawks. Schultz played a key role in this, as she scored 15 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter. GRCC continued to have a tight grip on MCC as the quarter ended, and the Jayhawks were feeling the pressure, as head coach Jason Cooper was seen angrily stomping and yelling at his players. The Raiders were up 17-8 heading into the second quarter.
GRCC continued to dominate time of possession in the second quarter. Despite this, the Raiders found themselves in some foul trouble, amassing six fouls compared to MCC’s two fouls in the quarter. GRCC’s fouls allowed the Jayhawks to score eight points off free throws, dwindling the Raiders’ lead. As the first half came to an end, MCC began breaking through GRCC’s defense, further depleting the Raiders’ lead. The Raiders narrowly led at halftime 30-24.
The second half started off rough for the Raiders, as MCC made a quick three-point shot. GRCC’s situation did not improve after this, as the Jayhawks noticeably tightened up on their defense, while the Raiders struggled to break through and score. This resulted in MCC jumping ahead of the Raiders 37-32 with 5:18 left in the third quarter. GRCC had trouble finding the net, while the Jayhawks made nearly every shot. Despite a minor comeback by GRCC in the final minutes, the Raiders headed into the final quarter of the game down 45-39.
As the fourth quarter began, the Raiders became noticeably more aggressive as the Jayhawks lead continued to grow. In the final minutes of the game, GRCC hit a hot streak, scoring 10 points in less than three minutes, making the score 59-53 with 42 seconds left to play. Despite GRCC’s last-minute effort, the Raiders ultimately fell to the Jayhawks 61-53 in a tense battle.
Schultz scored 19 points, a season-high of 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Freshman guard Tia Richard scored 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Head coach David Glazier said he believes that the lack of urgency and failure to adjust in the second half was the Raider’s biggest fault.
“We just didn’t come out ready to play in the second half,” Glazier said. “We didn’t adjust to what (Muskegon) was doing or adjusting to a kid making a play.”
Sophomore Avery Jirous agreed with Glazier, adding that the team came into the second half with the wrong mentality.
“We just didn’t come out ready to go in the second half,” Jirous said. “We came out with a mindset at halftime that just wasn’t good.”
The Raiders are now 4-11 overall and 1-3 in conference play. GRCC will be back in action on Jan. 27 against Kirtland Community College at 1 p.m. at the Ford Fieldhouse.
