Women's Basketball made winning plays down the stretch at home Wednesday night as the Ravens took down the Park University Pirates 65-59.
The Ravens held a 45-41 advantage after three quarters of action. That was extended to 48-41 just seconds into the fourth quarter as Brynn Maul opened the frame with a 3-pointer.
It seemed like the Ravens had a comfortable 57-46 advantage with a few minutes to play, but Park's Taylor Shelby hit three-consecutive 3s that helped the Pirates pull to within 59-57 with 1:14 to play. It was Shelby's first 3-pointers of the game.
Following a Park turnover, the Ravens had possession with 51 seconds to play. Ali Brzozowski was fouled immediately on the inbounds pass and sank both free throws to put the Ravens up 4 points.
Park was able to get a bucket in the paint with 31 seconds to play, cutting the Ravens lead to 61-59. Brzozowski was fouled on the inbounds play and sank both free throws – she made 5-6 from the stripe in the final minute. Down 63-59, Shelby launched another 3-pointer for the Pirates, but this one rimmed out and was rebounded by Brzozowski. Skylar Washington was fouled with 2 seconds to play and hit both free throws for the game's final spread.
Brzozowski led the Ravens with 18 points and also had 8 rebounds. She was 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the game, and the Ravens shot 22-29 from the charity stripe as a team.
The Ravens size advantage was evident in the opening quarter as they picked up 15 rebounds compared to just 8 for the Pirates. However, the Ravens could only turn 6 offensive rebounds into 2 second-chance points.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the opening quarter as the Ravens were 4-of-15 and the Pirates were 4-14. What helped the Ravens build a 15-10 lead was their ability to get to the free throw line – they converted 7-10 from the stripe.
The Pirates erased the Ravens 5-point advantage by halftime, though, as both teams headed into the break tied 29-29. The Ravens offensive struggles continued in the second quarter and they entered halftime shooting 29.4% from the field and didn't shoot a free throw in the second quarter. The Pirates offense picked up a bit as they were 6-15 from the floor in the second quarter.
Washington's 8 points led the way for the Ravens in the opening 20 minutes. She finished with 11 points.
Park also cut into the Ravens rebounding advantage. The home squad had 24 boards at the break, with the Pirates pulling down 21. The Ravens finished the game with just one more rebound than the Pirates. Natalie Smaron led all players with 12 rebounds.
The Ravens did have 12 steals in the game and entered the contest with the second-most steals in the NAIA.
The win snaps the Ravens two-game losing streak, improving their record to 6-4 overall, and 4-2 in Heart of America play. Park drops to 1-4 and 0-4 in its first season of play in the Heart.
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