Women's Basketball Comes Up Short in Track Meet Loss

(Lansing, MI)-- For the second consecutive game, the Cleary Cougar women's basketball team set a new program and school record for points in a game.  Unfortunately for the Cougars, it would not be enough, as the Cougars fell to the visiting Grace College Lancers 114-95 Saturday afternoon at Gannon Gymnasium in Lansing.

The Lancers would score first, but then Jess Andrew and Izzy Dugal would score back to back buckets to give the Cougars the lead.  Grace would answer with two straight baskets of their own before Samantha Hoelscher scored a layup to make it 7-6.  The blows would continue to be traded, but the Cougars would break the Lancer pressure, and built a 21-13 lead just past the halfway mark of the first half.  Grace would come back to take the lead, and would head into the first quarter intermission with a 30-26 lead.

Grace's lead would grow to double-digits just three minutes into the second quarter.  The Cougars would keep the deficit there for most of the half's remaining minutes, but a jumper with 27 seconds left would force the Cougars into a fourteen point deficit.  Melanin Holman would connect on a jumper late to cut the Lancer lead to twelve points, as the teams went into the half with the score 60-48.

Melanin Holman would score back to back baskets to start the third quarter, and cut the deficit to single-digits in the process.  Grace would answer, and rebuilt the double-digit advantage.  After going down by seventeen, Melanin Holman scored a layup and then hit a three pointer to make it a twelve point game once again.  Cleary would continue to hang around, as Samantha Hoelscher would connect on a pair of free throws, and Melanin Holman scored a layup, keeping the Cougars within thirteen points.  Grace would go on another run, and with 1:40 to play in the third quarter, Cleary would find themselves trailing by twenty points.  

Cleary would fight back in the fourth quarter, cutting the Lancer lead to thirteen points after Samantha Hoelscher scored a layup with 5:20 to play in the game.  Grace once again answered, and the Cougars comeback would run out of steam, as the Lancers went on to win 114-95.

Melanin Holman had a team and career high 30 points to go with 7 assists and 5 rebounds.  Samantha Hoelscher would also have a career high 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in the game.  Izzy Dugal would add 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Jess Andrew posted 13 points.  The 30 points scored by Melanin Holman is a new school record for most points in a game, besting Samantha Hoelscher's previous school record of 29 points in last season's win against Lawrence Tech on November 26.

The loss drops Cleary's record to 1-3 on the season.  The Cougars will open WHAC play on Wednesday, November 19, when they host the Aquinas College Saints at Gannon Gymnasium.  The game is set to begin at 5:30 PM.