The women’s basketball team suffered a pair of home losses last weekend to Drake and Northern Iowa by scores of 76-64 and 55-47, respectively.
While the final scores suggest a lack of competition, the reality was quite the contrary. In both games, the Braves were able to cut their opponent’s leads down to at least five within the last five minutes of each game.
Despite their efforts, the Braves weren’t able to close out those games strongly enough to come out with a win.
“I thought we’ve played tough,” head coach Michael Brooks said. “I’ve loved our energy, I’ve loved our effort.”
Brooks noted major momentum swings in both games the women were never able to rally back from. Against Drake the game was filled with runs each way, but the Braves weren’t able to counter Drake’s last run.
On Sunday, when the women were tied with UNI at 41-41, UNI earned an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, which led to a 3-pointer. The Braves turned it over on their next possession and gave up a layup to UNI, which ultimately sealed the Braves’ fate.
“We had a season low in turnovers [against UNI] but then we go into a 60-second bit where we turn the ball over three times in a row,” Brooks said. “We’re not a team right now that can overcome some of those things. Our margin of error is very little because we’re still young and we’re not putting the ball in the hole at the pace that we should.”
While the results were clearly not what the women were looking for, there is still reason for optimism. Drake and UNI rank one and three in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) standings, and the fact that the Braves were so competitive boosts the women’s spirits.
“We played really well the last two games against two of the best teams in the conference,” sophomore guard Anneke Schlueter said. “We improved a lot and played hard. We just have to finish all together as a team.”
Schlueter performed well over the last weekend, notching 12 points on Friday and eight points on Sunday. However, arguably the most impactful player right now has been freshman forward Vanessa Markert, who found her way into the rotation after missing most of the season with a concussion.
“The emergence of Vanessa Markert has been wondferful, that’s been a huge piece to the puzzle,” Brooks said. “Vanessa has come in with a great back-to-the-basket presence, and she can also shoot the three.”
Markert has averaged 7.3 points per game in her last four games, and has even found herself in the starting lineup in the last game against UNI.
“It’s taken her time to get back, but that’s been a very big positive,” Brooks said.
Brooks said the Braves need to have the confidence to finish out games moving forward if they are to find their way into the win column.
The women face Evansville tonight, who is dead last in the MVC. The game plan to beat the Aces is simple: stop Sara Dickey, who is one of the most prolific scorers in the conference. The Braves also need to force others to make plays.
The game begins at 7 p.m. at Renaissance Coliseum.
