Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Junior forward Brook Duncan tallied 25 points to help Southwest Baptist hold off Nebraska Kearney, 81-69, Saturday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center.
The Bearcats are now 4-3 (1-1) while UNK falls to 3-5 (0-2).
A six-footer, Duncan came in averaging just over 11 points per game and with 12 made threes. She started the day's scoring with a triple and made her first four shots to have 19 points, on five threes, by the break.
With SBU going 18 of 36 (7 of 14 threes) from the field to lead 45-40 at the intermission, UNK hung around thanks to 11 of 12 free throw shooting. The Lopers saw sophomore forward
Kelsey Fitzgerald (Yankton, S.D.) have 16 first half points with senior center
Amarah Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) supplying 13.
The Bearcats, however, didn't cool off in the second half, upping the ante to 52% (13 of 25). The Lopers were still down by only five, 59-54, at the 11:54 mark before going ice cold.
Over the next six minutes, UNK went 1 of 13 from the field as SBU managed to open up a 14-point cushion, 73-59. Duncan started the 14-5 run with her seventh and final triple of the game.
"We had good spurts offensively but our timing defensively wasn't there," said UNK head coach
Kevin Chaney. "Here's the thing; we can't let opponents come into our house and shoot 51 percent from the field. We've got to get closer to people and contest shots more."
Scoring 20 points off 16 Loper turnovers and making 31 of 61 shots (10 of 25 3's), SBU also went 9 of 10 at the line.
Jordan finished 9 of 15 (7 of 13 3's) from the floor and also had six assists and four rebounds in 27 minutes. Fellow starter Dilonna Johnson (13) was the only other 'Cat in double figures.
Fitzgerald (21) and Williams (18) combined for 39 points with Trenton junior
Laramey Lewis having her second double double of the winter (12 points & 10 rebounds). Finally, in her first game in a UNK uniform, Idaho senior Mariam Ridgewell had four points, two rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes off the pine.
The Lopers travel to South Dakota Mines next Saturday afternoon.
