Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru/LukeZayasMedia
GEORGETOWN, Texas — A slow start on the offensive end, not unlike what was seen in last Saturday’s season opener at Trinity, dug UMHB women’s basketball into a 17-9 deficit with 91 seconds left in the opening quarter on Friday night.
But the Crusaders soon found a more consistent offensive flow, and along with a solid defensive performance, quickly flipped the script. A 6-0 run to end the first quarter was picked back up in the second, as UMHB pulled away from Southwestern University in an eventual 65-42 victory.
The Cru is now 2-0 to start the 2024-25 season, having won back-to-back games out of the gate for the second time in the last three years.
“I still feel like we’re trying to figure out how to get the best start possible,” UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir said postgame. “We have so many new players and a lot of different things on offense, and defense. I think it’s just a matter of learning the role and getting it going faster.”
Once the Crusaders found themselves trailing, it seemed the energy plays and intensity level stepped up a notch. From the four-minute mark to the 1:30 mark of the first quarter, Southwestern had its way in the midst of a 9-0 run. That included one particular play in which UMHB failed to convert on a shot in the paint, Southwestern’s Ellie Ward grabbed the defensive rebound and sent a long pass to Alexa Romero, who drove to the lane, scored, and was fouled in the span of just a few seconds. The “and one” score brought the Pirate bench to its feet, as the hosts grabbed control with a 13-9 lead.
But UMHB answered soon after. Adyson James, who finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, pulled down an offensive rebound and ended a three-minute scoring drought with a layup. James did the same on another offensive putback just over a minute later, scoring with four seconds left in the quarter.
That trimmed the deficit to two, and just 25 seconds in the second quarter, Jaycie Brisco provided the perfect example of heads-up defense translating into good offense when she intercepted a Southwestern pass on the left wing and raced to the other end for a game-tying layup. Fast forward to the 5:35 mark, and Amillion Fowler put the lead back in UMHB’s hands with a 3-pointer, going up, 23-20. It was the first time UMHB had led since its 9-8 advantage with four minutes left in the first, and they never trailed again at any point through the second half.
In fact, the Crusaders only widened the gap in the 10 minutes that followed halftime. A steal from Fowler led to a layup from James, sparking an 8-0 spurt that took UMHB’s lead to a commanding 42-25.
The offense clicked in a variety of ways in the third quarter, as The Cru outscored Southwestern 21-9. Perhaps one of the most memorable plays of the quarter came with 5:24 left, when Katelen Brooks seemed to earn applause from the entire arena with a perfectly-placed no-look pass to Remi Adeleke in the low post. Brooks drove through the lane horizontally, seemingly going from the left wing to the right, but saw Adeleke’s defender move towards her, thus opening a clear passing lane to Adeleke under the basket. The layup put UMHB up 18, and Adeleke added yet another layup on The Cru’s ensuing possession for a 20-point advantage.
The Crusaders kept pushing even with the sizable lead. Brisco and James each intercepted a Southwestern pass and took it the length of the floor for a layup over the final 12 minutes, contributing to The Cru’s 26 points off turnovers. Both sides turned it over 21 times, but it was UMHB who capitalized more on the takeaways. That was particularly notable on a night when the halfcourt offense struggled at points, shooting 38.1% from the field and just 5-of-19 from 3-point range, in addition to the 21 turnovers.
They stayed aggressive on the boards too, another key aspect in the win. UMHB outrebounded the Pirates, 49-34, and pulled down 20 offensive rebounds that led to The Cru’s 25 second-chance points.
“It’s good to learn by this, because I like building that grittiness on defense and not relying on the shot going in every time,” Novak-Lenoir said. “Our shots need to get better for sure. But early in the year, I’d rather have that defensive edge and be better rebounding.”
Notables
- UMHB has now won five straight meetings with Southwestern, though this was the first time the two programs met since the 2019-20 season.
- Jaycie Brisco tallied 16 rebounds, a new career-high for the senior guard. 7 of those boards came on the offensive end.
- Brisco was just two rebounds shy of tying Taylor Tucker and Taylor Kollmorgen for the fifth-most rebounds in a single game in program history.
- James’ double-double (16 pts, 10 reb) now gives UMHB two double-double performances this season, with Josie Bruder having put up an 18-point, 10-rebound stat line in last Saturday’s win at Trinity.
- James has scored in double figures in each of her first two games in a UMHB uniform.
- Josie Bruder now has six double-digit scoring performances in her UMHB career, having tallied 14 against Southwestern. Incredibly, this stretch of two games marks the first time in her college career that has tallied consecutive 10+ point performances.
- In her season debut, sophomore transfer Mikyla Bachert played 16 minutes, shooting 2-of-3 from the floor along with three rebounds and a steal.
Up Next
UMHB heads to Kerrville, Texas on Wednesday, facing Schreiner in a 4 p.m. non-conference contest. The Mountaineers are coached by UMHB alum Kendra Foreman, and are 1-2 to start the season.
