(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team fell to 4-3 on the season with a 74-65 loss to visiting Milwaukee Area (WI) Technical College. The Chiefs went cold in the third quarter to allow the Stormers (4-4) to turn a six-point deficit into a 12-point lead. Playing without leading scorer Brooke Heiman, who entered the day sixth nationally among all NJCAA Division II players with a 24.5 point-per-game average, Waubonsee struggled to find a consistent offensive source.
Milwaukee Tech's Shiauna Nixon-Boyd scored on a short, turn around baseline jumper to open the game. Waubonsee got on the board a minute later when Angelina Schlinger zigged and zagged her way down the lane and through the Stormers defense for a lay-in to knot the score. The game went back and forth for the next several minutes of play. Midway through the first quarter Waubonsee held a 10-7 lead highlighted by a three-pointer from the left wing by Lily Fernandez. Another triple, this time by Vivian Tapia, put the Chiefs in front 14-10 with two minutes left in the period. Waubonsee then closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 20-10.
A minute into the second period Schlinger scored on a scoop shot in traffic to push the Chiefs' lead back up to 10 points at 25-15. Both teams went cold from there combining for only four total points over the next six minutes of action. The Stormers got within five points at 29-24 with a minute and a half remaining until halftime. A nice dish off by Schlinger to Emily Hurst resulted in a lay-in with half a minute to go to help the Chiefs head to the break with a 32-26 lead.
The teams traded turnovers to start the second half before Hurst made a pair of close range shots. Three minutes into the third quarter a trey by Nixon-Boyd got the Stormers within three at 36-33. She proceeded to tie the game a minute later when she converted a three-point play, the first time the game had been tied since it was 5-all in the opening minutes. The Stormers then scored five quick points to grab a 43-38 lead with four minutes remaining in the period. As the game progressed it became obvious that the Chiefs greatly missed Heiman who did not play after feeling ill prior to the tip-off. Milwaukee Tech began to work the ball inside more and started to pull away over the final three minutes of the quarter. The Stormers outscored Waubonsee 28-10 to end the stanza with a 54-42 lead.
The Stormers led by as many as 15 points early in the final quarter. Waubonsee made a little run midway through the quarter pulling to within 58-49 on a break away lay-up by Schlinger. However, a pair of three-pointers by the Stormers pushed the lead back up to 64-49 with three minutes to go. The Chiefs' pull court press garnered half a dozen turnovers by Milwaukee Tech down the stretch to help Waubonsee claw its way back within striking distance. A steal and lay-up by Ma'Liyah Hodges cut the deficit to five points at 64-59 with 1:08 to go. A three-point play by Hurst with 0:48 remaining made it 67-63, but Nixon-Boyd converted seven of eight free throws over the final seconds to ice the game.
Hurst led Waubonsee in scoring with 20 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. The freshman posted a double-double as well, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals. Tapia also booked a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards before she also fouled out in the fourth quarter. Schlinger finished with 12 points and seven assists, while Hodges chipped in with nine points and Ashleigh Wackerlin made four steals. Nixon-Boyd led all scorers with 23 points.
Coach Jim Williams' crew plays its' next six games all on the road. Waubonsee's next home game is not until January 17, 2023 when they host McHenry County College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference math-up. That game is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. (CDT) in Waubonsee Erickson Hall Gymnasium.