By Jared Fields, Sports Editor
After all of the preseason hype and expectations to win the Lone Star Conference South Division, the women’s basketball team began the first three games of the year with a 1-2 record.
The Wildcats got off to a good start by winning their first game, a 73-51 victory over Incarnate Word in Austin. The next day the Wildcats blew a 12-point lead to St. Edward’s to lose 66-54.
The Wildcats lost another game Wednesday in overtime against Northwest Missouri State, 79-78.
“In both games what’s cost us are the turnovers,” head coach Shawna Lavender said. “Right now, in everything else we’re doing a pretty good job.”
In the overtime loss, the Wildcats committed 37 turnovers, but shot well from the field and free throw line.
Junior Lacey Blau made a layup with 12 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 68 and force overtime. In the overtime period, the Wildcats led 78-77 with just longer than one minute left in the game. With four seconds left, Northwest Missouri State inbounded the ball and missed a jump shot, but Kelli Nelson grabbed the rebound and put up a layup that went in with less than one second remaining to beat the Wildcats.
Lavender said if her team can take better care of the ball then everything else should be fine.
“We scored 77 points the other night with 37 turnovers,” Lavender said. “So that’s the key right now – turnovers.”
Another problem for the Wildcats in the first three games has been the lack of playing time by senior Jamie Boles-Lord. The 6 foot 1 inch center has been plagued with foul trouble in games, and hasn’t had more than 20 minutes of playing time in any of the first three games this season.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to keep her in the game longer and give us another scoring threat down there,” Lavender said. “I’m not worried about her foul trouble; I think she’ll figure it out, and we’ll figure it out, and it’ll help out a lot when she’s in the game a little bit more.”
The Wildcats next game is against Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday at 2 p.m.
