LAS VEGAS — The seventh-seeded Chicago State women's basketball team (0-14, 0-11 WAC) dropped a 61-43 decision to the No. 2 Utah Valley Wolverines (13-5, 11-4 WAC) Wednesday night in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Cougars couldn't overcome a cold-shooting first half, converting just 8-of-29 shots (27.6 percent), and 25 turnovers proved too much to overcome.
Utah Valley scored the game's first seven points before CSU senior
Leilani Moncrease grabbed an offensive rebound and sunk a layup to put the Cougars on the scoreboard. The Wolverines extended their early lead to nine points following back-to-back buckets, and UVU led 11-2 with 5:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Christina Britter drilled a pair of free throws and
Nadia Thorman-McKey converted a driving layup to cut the lead to five, 11-6. Utah Valley then answered with treys on consecutive possessions and finished the quarter with 10-2 run and a 21-8 lead.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the second quarter, combining to make just eight of 33 shots (CSU 5-of-18, UVU 3-of-15). The Wolverines sustained a nearly five-minute scoring drought but the Cougars couldn't take advantage and only scored on a Britter jumper. The score was 24-10 with 5:08 remaining in the half.
Chicago State would cut the lead to 10 on two occasions, both following Thorman-McKey layups. The junior forward scored 12 first-half points for the Cougars, who trailed by 12 after the first 20 minutes, 30-18.
The Wolverines started the second half the same way they did the first, with a 7-0 run, and extended their lead to 19, 37-18. The Cougars were limited to just five third-quarter points on 2-of-14 shooting (14.3 percent).
Laura Segues nailed a three, and Moncrease converted a jumper. The UVU lead was 22 at the end of three quarters, 45-23.
Chicago State brisky knocked 10 points off the Wolverines' lead with a 13-3 run to start the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 12, 48-36, with 6:52 remaining to play. A Britter layup would drop the margin to 11, but the Cougars would get no closer and closed the game with a 12-5 run for the 61-43 final.
Thorman-McKey powered the Cougars with 18 points, and Britter added 10. Segues scored six, Moncrease dropped in four and Webb three to round out the scoring. Britter led the Cougars with nine rebounds.
