BABSON PARK, Fla. (December 30, 2019) – The Webber International University women's basketball team has ended the first half of its 2019-20 season as the Warriors dropped a close one against Dakota State University, 66-60, to finish off 2019 and head into the New Year.
It was also the final nonconference game of the season for Webber, which will enter 2020 with an overall record of 7-8 with 13 Sun Conference games remaining. Dakota State, meanwhile, which entered the game with Webber coming off a double-digit win over the No. 16-ranked team in NAIA Division-II, Sterling College, 10 days ago, improved to 4-9 on the season.
The Warriors only trailed one time (down 11-10 with three minutes to play in the first quarter) over the first 38 minutes of the game and led by as much as 14 points in the first half (up 25-11 with eight minutes left in the first half) following an impressive 15-0 run between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second.
Webber then took a double-digit lead into the final quarter up 54-43 after a 3-pointer by
Samantha Pacheco in the final 15 seconds of the third quarter.
However, Dakota State opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to get within three points at 54-51 with 6:18 left to play.
Then, exactly a minute after the Trojans got to within one at 56-55 with 5:34 left,
LeAndra Franklin had what looked like might be the game saving-play for the Warriors as she earned a steal and converted on the fast break layup to make it 58-55 with 4:34 remaining.
Emmarrie Carmen then added a jumper in the paint with 4:16 left to make it a five-point game at 60-55, but the Trojans did not give in and tied the game at 60-60 on a 3-pointer with a minute and a half to go before taking the lead at 62-60 on a fast break layup by Lexi Robson with only a minute left.
Webber then missed three 3-pointers over the final 50 seconds of the game while Dakota State finished things off with Robson going 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 40 seconds.
In all for the fourth quarter, Webber was only 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) from the field and was 0-for-9 from three.
Franklin led the Warriors in scoring with 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and two 3-pointers while adding five steals, four assists and four rebounds.
Eletra Graham added 13 points on three 3-pointers;
Paris Copeland had nine points, seven boards and four assists;
Taniya Patrick had eight points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots;
Amaya Lasley had five points; and
RayGene Garner had four points and five rebounds.
The 28.6 shooting percentage was the lowest of the season for Webber while the 77 field goal attempts and the 29 3-point attempts were both a season-high.
Despite the outcome, Webber did a strong job defensively, forcing the Trojans into 28 turnovers while earning 14 steals as a team and outscoring Dakota State 27-10 in points off turnovers. It was the fourth time this season the Warriors had 14 or more steals in a game and was already the ninth time in 15 games that they had double-digit steals.
Next up, Webber returns to Sun Conference action at the end of the week as the Warriors travel to Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 4, for a 2 p.m. game time. One week later, Webber will battle its Crooked Lake rival Warner University for the first time during the 2019-20 campaign as the Warriors and the Royals meet up at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, in Lake, Wales, Florida.
