Lakeland College

Hot shooting and missed free throws doom Muskies

Athletics - posted on 1/18/2012

The Lakeland College women's basketball team lost their second straight Northern Athletics Conference North division contest with a 75-48 loss to host Marian University.

The Muskies (9-6, 4-5 NAC) struggled from the tip and couldn't find their rhythm on either end of the court.

The Sabres (11-6, 7-4 NAC) got off to a fast start, going on a 21-6 run over the first nine minutes of the game. The Muskies would answer with a 7-0 run of their own, however, the hole was just too big to overcome, as Marian would take a 26-15 lead into the half.

Lakeland shot 20.8 percent (5-for-24) from the floor, 16.7 percent (1-for-6) from the 3-point line and just 4-for-11 from the free throw line. Their defense couldn't hold down Marian who shot 32.1 percent (9-for-28) from the field, 28.6 percent (4-for-14) from the 3-point line and 4-for-7 from the free throw line. Marian outscored Lakeland in the paint 10-4 and their reserves outscored the Muskies bench 13-2. The Sabres also outrebounded the Muskies in the first half, 28-14.

"We can't afford to give their best shooter open looks," said Lakeland head coach Lindsey Vande Hoef. "We knew coming in that Sarah Albert was an outstanding 3-point threat and we didn't execute our game plan well enough to win. We have to be ready to play from the tip, you can't dig a hole the way we did tonight and expect to win."

Lakeland couldn't get any offense going and would not get within more than nine points as the Sabres hot shooting was too much for the Muskies to handle. The Muskies shot 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from the field, 28.6 percent (4-for-14) from the 3-point line and 5-for-18 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Marian just couldn't miss, shooting 56 percent (14-for-25) from the field, 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from behind the arc and hit 13-of-16 free throws in the half.

"It was frustrating tonight because we were contesting their shots and they were still knocking them down," said Lakeland head coach Lindsey Vande Hoef. "We started to make a run and get open looks, but we lack the toughness to play every possession and we can't afford to take mental breaks against a good team like Marian. We need to bounce back and come out focused and ready to play on Saturday. Marian's a great team, but we are better than what we showed tonight."

Sophomore Jessica Genke (Kiel, Wis.) led the Muskies with 12 points and nine rebounds while fellow sophomore Taylor Jandrin (Forestville, Wis.) added 11 points, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc.

Lakeland will look to get back to its winning ways on Saturday, Jan. 21, as the Muskies travel to Aurora, Ill., for a NAC cross division contest against the Aurora University Spartans. Tip is 2 p.m.

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