The UTPB women’s basketball team hasn’t been able to put together an all-around offensive performance during its recent seven-game losing streak.
UTPB will usually have a strong post presence, but show inconsistencies in its 3-point shooting.
The inverse happened in an 83-61 loss to Lubbock Christian Saturday at the Falcon Dome, with the Falcons making 45% of their long distance shots.
“This is the first game where we actually scored well on the perimeter,” UTPB coach Rae Boothe said. “We didn’t have an interior presence; we need to put all the pieces together.”
The Falcons had one of their most efficient starts of the season in the first half, connecting on 48% of their shots.
Even that sharp start couldn’t slow down eighth-ranked Lubbock Christian from jumping ahead on the scoreboard through the first and second periods.
The Lady Chaps built their lead early by making the most of their 3-point opportunities in the first quarter.
They showed a commitment to making the extra pass on the perimeter, making seven shots from beyond the arc.
UTPB didn’t fall too far behind, with Holly Hemmeline connecting on buzzer-beating 3-pointers at the end of the first and second quarters to cut the deficit.
Lubbock Christian went into the halftime break with a seven-point lead.
The Lady Chaps shifted their focus to creating open looks under the basket at the start of the third quarter, using the threat of their outside shooting to draw defenders out.
“They’re very efficient offensively, all their players can score from every area of the floor,” Boothe said. “They’re hard to guard because they have so many weapons and they’re just incredibly smart in what they do.
“There’s a reason why they’ve won three of the last five national championships.”
Juliana Robertson was one of the players who benefited the most from that switch, scoring two quick layups to help Lubbock Christian outscore UTPB 11-2 in the third quarter’s first five minutes.
The Falcons couldn’t slow down the Lady Chaps for the rest of the game, as the visitors used their physicality to force seven second half turnovers.
Lubbock Christian outscored the Falcons by 15 points in the third and fourth quarters to close out the victory.
Hemmeline and Avalon Munoz each finished with 12 points to lead the Falcons.
Channing Cunyus paced the Lady Chaps with 24 points, followed by Allie Schulte with 19.
Boothe said this was the first loss her team has experienced this season where the score wasn’t close in the final minutes.
The head coach plans to work with her squad on recreating the situations where a game comes down to a close score.
Finishing out those games could help the Falcons gain the mental toughness they need to end their skid.
“That’s where we can build some confidence to get over the mental part of losing in the last minute of a game,” Boothe said.
The Falcons (4-15 overall, 0-7 Lone Star Conference) travel to face Angelo State at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in San Angelo.
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Lubbock Christian 83, UTPB 61
LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-4, 6-3 Lone Star Conference)
Juliana Robertson 4-5 1-1 9, Ashton Duncan 0-5 0-0 0, Laynee Burr 4-5 2-2 11, Channing Cunyus 8-12 2-2 24, Allie Schulte 7-11 3-4 19, Audrey Robertson 5-8 0-1 11, Grace Foster 1-5 1-2 3, Maci Maddox 0-2 0-0 0, Shaylee Stovall 0-0 0-0 0, Whitney Cox 2-2 0-0 4, Savannah Sumrall 0-0 0-0 0, Brylee Winfrey 0-0 0-0 0, Carli Bostwick 1-2 0-0 2, Rachel Haase 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-57 9-12 83.
UTPB (4-15, 0-7 Lone Star Conference)
Morgan Helgesen 2-3 0-0 5, Ogechi Nwodo 4-8 1-2 9, Kamari Portalis 2-6 0-0 5, Avalon Munoz 4-11 3-3 12, Holly Hemmeline 4-9 0-0 12, Alexus Wykoff 3-6 5-7 11, Alexis Popham 1-3 0-0 3, Ally Haman 1-1 0-0 3, Rory Carter 0-1 0-0 0, Kim Best 0-2 1-2 1, Kine Diop 0-0 0-0 0, Diavian Spencer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 10-14 61.
Lubbock Christian… 23.. 17 25 18 — 83
UTPB………………….. 16.. 17 14 14 — 61
3-Point goals — Lubbock Christian 10-27 (Duncan 0-5, Burr 1-2, Cunyus 6-8, Schulte 2-5, A. Robertson 1-3, Foster 0-2, Maddox 0-1, Bostwick 0-1), UTPB 9-20 (Helgesen 1-2, Portalis 1-3, Munoz 1-3, Hemmeline 4-9, Popham 1-1, Haman 1-1, Carter 0-1). Total fouls — Lubbock Christian 17, UTPB 16. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. Rebounds — Lubbock Christian 26 (J. Robertson 5), UTPB 28 (Nwodo 7). Assists — Lubbock Christian 20 (Schulte 6), UTPB 14 (Munoz 6).
