Pride hang on to late lead at Graceland for first Heart win
LAMONI, Iowa - Playing only an exhibition game over the last 11 days, the Clarke University women's basketball team returned off of their extended Thanksgiving break away from game action with a narrow 55-52 road win over Graceland University on Wednesday night.
A low-scoring defensive battle in nature, the two teams were separated by two points after GU's Ianara Morbidoni hit a three pointer with 1:45 left that was shortly answered on the next possession by Zoe Kennedy of the Pride with her own triple to make it a 55-50 CU lead with just over a minute to go.
Over the final minute, the two teams combined to turn the ball over three times and miss four free throws as the final turnover gave the Yellowjackets the ball with about 10 seconds left with a chance to tie the game, down three points as Morbidoni took the shot but could not knock it down, giving Clarke their first victory in the Heart of America Athletic Conference on the season.
During the entirety of the game, there were three different quarters of a team only producing single digit points over the 10-minute period with the Pride taking advantage in the second and third to 16-8 and 17-9 quarter advantages to go from down nine points after the opening frame to up seven points heading into a fourth quarter where they would only score nine points.
Both Clarke and Graceland would shoot under 35 percent from the field and turn the ball over over 20 times, combining for a 39-for-123 (31.7%) shooting performance and 44 turnovers as they both hit six three pointers, the Yellowjackets his three more free throws, but the Pride's three more makes from the field would carry them to the one-possession win.
Kennedy led all players in scoring with a 25-point performance over 40 minutes of action while adding five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a blocked shot as she was supported by a career-high 10 points off the bench from Breckan Stewart, who shot 5-for-7 (71.4%) from the field and grabbed six rebounds, with the trio of Josie Potts, Reese Ryan, and Jessica Morgan all adding six points apiece.
The only other player in the game in double figures was the only other player to join Kennedy in playing all 40 minutes of the game and that was Graceland's Nateonia Russell, whose 14 points came on 5-of-8 (62.5%) shooting while producing eight rebounds, three assists, six steals, and one blocked shot.
Pride women's basketball will return home to the Kehl Center for their next game when they host MidAmerica Nazarene University on Dec. 6 for a 12:00 p.m. CT scheduled opening tip against the Pioneers on Saturday.