The women’s basketball team was soundly defeated on Wednesday night, losing to the Trinity College Bantams at home by 17 points.
The Trinity College Bantams came right out of the gate leading 9-2, but a perfect 4-for-4 effort from three by the Lasers tied the game at 18 to end the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter, a layup by freshman guard Shirle Major and a put-back rebound by sophomore guard Jasmine DePina gave the Lasers a 22-18 lead.
After a timeout by the Bantams, the Lasers wasted no time getting back in the score column thanks to a give-and-go sequence that found the hands of Depina who was creating several opportunities without the ball while on the court. Unfortunately for the Lasers, a 7-0 run gave the Bantams the lead right back.
Following a back-and-forth battle between the two squads, the Lasers found themselves piling up turnovers which led to a three-point deficit with about two minutes remaining in the half.
After a timeout of their own, a put-back layup by sophomore forward Mia Sullivan-Sanders gave the Lasers some momentum, but they were unable to capitalize. The Bantams answered with back-to-back threes, giving them a 37-32 lead at halftime.
To begin the second half, the Bantams earned back-to-back buckets, while the Lasers had five empty trips down the other end of the floor. After falling behind by nine points, Lasers’ Head Coach Kelley Sundberg called a timeout.
Coming out of the break, the Bantams went on a 6-0 run, forcing Sundberg to call her second timeout within the span of two and a half minutes.
Although the Lasers were able to score two points after their second consecutive 3rd quarter timeout thanks to a Brooke Damboise jumper, the Bantams answered right back with a layup.
Towards the end of the 3rd Quarter, the Lasers turned the ball over for the 14th time in the game, sparking an offensive run by the Bantams, which gave them a 53-36 lead.
The Lasers cut the lead to as little as 14 points but were unable to stop the Bantams who were shooting as high as 50% from the field with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
Coming out of a stoppage, the Bantams went on a last-minute offensive run that handed them a dominant 68-51 victory.
Despite the loss, Sundberg said after the game that the team did plenty of things well, such as executing the game plan in the first quarter.
“We were able to tie [the game] 18-18,” Sundberg said. “Little stuff like that is so important especially for our long-term goals, as we enter conference play.”
Sunberg added that going against an opponent like Trinity, who is at the top of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) standings, teaches her players to “believe in themselves and their abilities as a team.”
The Lasers will return to the Athletic Center on Saturday at 2 pm to play their third straight home game against the Saint Joseph’s (ME) Monks.
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