COLUMBIA, Mo. – (RV) Women's Basketball opened their new season on the road Tuesday night with a trip down I-70 to take on Stephens College.
Trailing by 26 with just under five minutes remaining, Benedictine closed the game on a 14-2 run that allowed them to cut into their deficit but that margin proved to be too much as the Ravens fell 69-56.
A low-scoring first quarter started off the game for both teams with the Ravens trailing by five. After playing to a 5-5 tie, the Stars used a run to finish off the quarter and extended that into the second quarter to pull ahead by 12 early in the second quarter.
Aaliyah Raines got the Ravens going in the second quarter, scoring 6 points to ignite a comeback effort before the halftime break. Benedictine closed the half outscoring Stephens 14-8 to cut down their deficit to 6 points at the half, 27-21.
As the second half got underway, the Stars turned their 6-point halftime lead into double figures three minutes in. Benedictine was able to attack the basket, scoring 10 of their 21 third-quarter points in the paint. Stephens finished the quarter with a 4-point advantage over Benedictine that allowed them to lead by 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
A slow start to the fourth quarter proved to be a big factor in the final outcome. Benedictine didn't convert their first field goal with just over 4 minutes remaining in the game – which ignited their run to close out the game.
Raines led the Ravens with 16 points, shooting 50 percent from the floor while hitting 6 of 11 at the free-throw line. Josie Weishaar added 15 points in her debut for the Ravens. She connected on all 3 of the Ravens 3-pointers while going 4 of 5 at the free-throw line. Grace Dixon added 9 points off the bench as the Ravens finished with an 11-3 off the bench.
Benedictine returns home on Saturday to take on Manhattan Christian College at 7 p.m. on Dugan Jones Court inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium. Tickets are available for the game at www.ravenathletics.com/tickets.
