First-half shooting hampers Spartans
Nov. 3—As the Southwestern Community College women took the court Wednesday against Southeastern Community College of Nebraska, none of the starting Spartans had played in a collegiate game.
The only returning player for the Spartans, Cassidy Nelson of Lenox, was sidelined with an injury for the 65-46 loss in the home opener.
Redshirt freshman center Mikayla "Gracie" Hearon gets the tip-off Wednesday.
The Spartans were outscored 17-5 in the first quarter, failing to control Bobcats sophomore Matalynn Campbell from three 3-pointers.
Shyla Moore, a guard from Shakopee, Minnesota, was all over the court on defense, blocking shots and forcing the Bobcats' offense to miss the shot clock time.
Spartan guard Samair Colon from Campbell, Ohio, nailed a 3-point shot early and forward Sharmaine Tapline from Auckland, New Zealand, made a basket for first quarter scoring.
Moore responded to another 3-pointer by Campbell with one of her own. Redshirt freshman center Mikayla (Gracie) Hearon of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, put up a layup on a rebound to bring the score to 23-11 with five minutes left in the first half.
The Spartans looked tough on defense but on offense were hampered with poor shooting in the first half, being outscored 34-14.
Leading scoring for the Spartans were Moore with 16 and Tapling with 10.
After the half, the Spartans came out more composed, taking more shots from inside the 3-point arc and outscoring the Bobcats 32-31 in the remainder of the game.
Colon and Tapling got things started with back-to-back 3-pointers in the first two minutes. Moore went on a scoring spree in the third, putting up 7 points in less than a minute. Another three by Tapling put the Spartans down 19 going into the final quarter.
The Spartans came out strong on defense in the final quarter, Tapling stealing the ball and running it down for an easy layup to close the gap to 16.
Sharmaine Tapling of Auckland, New Zealand, puts up a layup in the fourth quarter after a steal.
Brooklyn Hadl of Ottawa, Kansas, put up two layups to end scoring for the Spartans.
Brooklyn Hadl puts up a shot against defender Katelyn Sanders.
The Spartans return to action Tuesday at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri. Their next home game is Wednesday, Nov. 29 against Johnson County Community College.
Box score was not available at the time of print.
