SEGUIN, Texas - The Trinity University women's basketball team opened another Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference weekend on the road with a 67-60 loss at Texas Lutheran University on Friday evening.
Trinity fell to 12-8 overall and 8-3 in SCAC play with the loss, while Texas Lutheran improved to 16-3 this season and 10-1 in conference. The Tigers shot 43.3% overall from the field and hit 8-of-23 (34.8%) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs shot 46.3% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs held a 43-35 edge in rebounding, which helped them score 20 second-chance points.
Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) led the Tigers with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, while also grabbing two rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) added 17 points, seven assists, and two steals.
Bailey Timmons (Argyle, Texas / Argyle) scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds, while
Natalie Greenwood (Dallas, Texas / Byron Nelson) led the team with 11 rebounds to go along with eight points.
Jivana Caceres (Kyle, Texas / Hays) contributed seven points off the bench.
The Rundown
Texas Lutheran jumped out to a fast start in the first quarter, hitting 10-of-17 shots (58.8%) and building a 23-10 lead. Trinity managed to cut the deficit to 13-10 midway through the period before TLU went on a 10-0 run to close out the quarter.
In the second quarter, Trinity's defense improved, holding TLU to just 30% shooting. Minter and Greenwood combined to spark an 8-2 run that brought the score to 26-18 with just under four minutes left in the half. Despite the Tigers' surge, the Bulldogs closed the quarter strongly to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.
Both teams found their offensive rhythm in the third quarter, with Trinity outscoring their opponents 20-16. Minter drained a three-pointer early in the period to trim the lead to five, and Napoli followed with back-to-back jumpers to bring the Tigers within four at 42-38. Caceres hit a three-pointer with just under a minute to go to make it 48-43, but the Bulldogs answered with a late layup to end the quarter up by seven.
The fourth quarter saw Texas Lutheran extend its lead to 15 points with a 13-2 run that made it 58-43. Trinity didn't back down, responding with an 11-2 run of its own, capped by a three-pointer from Timmons to cut the lead to 65-58 with 2:35 remaining. The Tigers continued to battle, but Texas Lutheran made key free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Coach Speak
"That's a wrap on Seguin," said coach
Cameron Hill. "Been a wonderful series over the years. Tonight felt like Friday Night Lights, the movie. MOJO showed up and got punched in the face by Dallas Carter. Had a gut check half time chat and came back to the field ready to compete. Despite the hero's effort, the game ended in defeat. Good thing for us this wasn't the state championship game, just a regular season street fight. We will lick our wounds and be back tomorrow just a little better than we were today!!!! ONWARD!!!"
Up Next
Trinity continues their weekend road trip as they head to Georgetown, TX to face off against Southwestern University tomorrow afternoon at 4:00pm.
