WARRIORS FALL TO LOURDES ON THE ROAD

SYLVANIA, Ohio - The Warriors (14-13, 11-10) took a loss to the Lourdes Gray Wolves (11-15, 9-12) 67-50 on Wednesday night, with the team having trouble sustaining a run to get caught back up. Rochester had trouble finding shots to fall throughout the contest and fell behind after a few quarters. 

Celeste Mershimer led the Warriors with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Imari Martin scored ten points. Melanie Moore continued her strong season on the glass, grabbing ten rebounds. For the Gray Wolves, four players scored in double figures, with guard Emma Pedroza pacing the team with 17. 

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

• Both teams were locked into a defensive battle during the quarter, each recording six turnovers and sub-40% shooting. After going up 4-2 behind scores from Jacey Somers and Shahd Bakkar, Rochester conceded the lead and wasn't able to regain it. Rochester attacked the paint frequently, finding some success from Mershimer in transition
• The Gray Wolves expanded their lead early on into the second quarter, but both teams were stuck at 20-12 after a series of turnovers. Moore grabbed an offensive rebound and recorded a putback to break the ice. Moore made a steal shortly after, leading to a jumper from Somers to keep the game close. After Lourdes built some separation, Dakotah Krohn logged a putback of her own to help Rochester stay in it, down six at halftime

SECOND HALF

• Mershimer and the Warriors got off to a strong start, cutting the lead to two behind back-to-back Mershimer layups. However, the Gray Wolves responded with a run of their own, getting out to a double-digit lead behind transition scores. Mershimer set up Moore for a score, and Riley Place hit a buzzer-beating three to end the quarter, but there was work to be done entering the final ten minutes
• The Gray Wolves and Warriors traded threes to start the fourth quarter, with Ashley Loon knocking down from deep before forcing a turnover and getting a score for Somers. The Gray Wolves continued to find success in the paint, however, and it seemed like for every bucket the Warriors scored, the Gray Wolves had one of their own. Rochester cut the lead to ten, but failed to score in the final two minutes, resulting in a win for the hosts

STAT OF THE GAME

Things were fairly even statistically, but the Gray Wolves had the edge in several categories. Rochester had 23 turnovers to the Gray Wolves' 18. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors play an important contest against Cornerstone on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. Rochester University will be celebrating Faith Day during the doubleheader, and the women's program will celebrate senior Celeste Mershimer at Garth Pleasant Arena. 

Hussein Murray - RU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RU Athletics