Written by Joe Hubbs. Media by Logan Nelson.
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This past week, the Lady Panthers won one of two games as they began to wrap up the final touches of their season. On Wednesday, the Ladies suffered a loss to Webster as they could not overcome a poor shooting first half. Senior Emily Gundy kept the Panthers alive, converting on four of her five first half field goals, including two three pointers.
Although the Lady Panthers matched Webster’s scoring in the second half, each team scoring 36, the 15 point deficit at half time proved to be too much for them. While each team shot relatively the same percentage from the field, the Panthers lost this game on the boards. Webster outrebounded Greenville 54-39, with 29 of those coming on the offensive end. Second chance points gave Webster the edge, and they would end up winning 75-60. Webster guard, Courtney Pursley led the game with 20 points. Gundy was the only Panthers in double digits with 15 points.
Hungry after the loss, the Ladies brought their A-game for their weekend contest on Saturday against Fontbonne. Starting the game off strong, freshman forward, Whitney Vitt hit two straight shots from behind the arc. Good ball movement kept the Griffins in the game early on however, and Fontbonne guard Nicole Joerger made an open three to keep pace with the Panthers. Down 14-10, Coach Mulholland mixed things up and inserted junior guard Miranda Murray into the lineup. Murray immediately stimulated Greenville’s offense, knocking down her first two three point shots. The Panthers took the lead back and commanded the court the rest of the half. A long three pointer by Gundy at the buzzer put the icing on the cake to mark a 14 point lead before going into the locker room. In the second half the Ladies wasted little time starting where they left off. A Coley Baker assist to Claire Schmitt kicked off the second half scoring. Gundy then stole the ball from Fontbonne and Baker would make another connection with Schmitt to start the Panthers 9-0 run. The Panthers shared the ball well the rest of the half with eight different ladies scoring on nine assists. The big lead allowed Coach Mo to empty the bench and the Ladies finished the game outscoring Fontbonne 81-58. The three point shot was a key factor to the team’s success. Bench sparkplug Miranda Murray led the team in points with 19, making 4-5 shots from behind the arc. Vitt also hit 4-5 shots from three point land, giving the Panthers 14 points and eight rebounds. Gundy hit 50 percent of her three point shots as well, adding 14 points to the stat sheet. Other key contributors were Missy Deal with 12 points off the bench, and Coley Baker with another well rounded basketball game. Baker barely missed her second career triple double by one assist and two points. Her stats included eight points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and six blocks.
The Lady Panthers record now stands at 9-13 with three contests left. Every game the rest of the season will be at home, so make sure and support your Lady Panthers as they finish the season on a strong note. The Ladies will take on Spalding this Thursday at 6 pm, and Iowa Wesleyan this Saturday at one o’clock.
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Click on a picture to view or download a full size version. Also click any of the pictures to view more pictures from the game vs. Webster.
Emily Gundy (picture by Logan Nelson)
Coley Baker and Emily Gundy (picture by Logan Nelson)
Missy Deal (picture by Logan Nelson)
