Women's Basketball held off an upset attempt Tuesday night at home.
The Ravens defeated the Baker University Wildcats 54-51 in a physical contest.
The Wildcats took a brief 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Ravens answered. After a free throw tied the game, Lauryn Dubbert drilled a 3-pointer to give the Ravens a lead they wouldn't squander.
The Ravens defense made strong plays down the stretch to help close out the game, including a pair of shot clock violations. Jaelyn Two Hearts kept the Wildcats within striking distance with a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute as she finished with a game-high 26 points, but each time the Ravens answered. First was a jumper by Dubbert to push the Ravens lead back to 4 points with 24 seconds to play, then two free throws by Aaliyah Raines with 3 seconds to play to seal the win. The contest was much tighter from start to finish than the Ravens 17-point against Baker earlier in the season.
Dubbert led the Ravens with 13 points and also dished out 5 assists. Kennedy Nicholson scored 11 points, and Josie Weishaar chipped in 8 points.
The Ravens got off to a good start offensively on Tuesday, scoring 20 points in the first quarter. After missing their first 15 3-pointers on Saturday afternoon, the Ravens opened the game on Tuesday looking better from deep; they knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter alone.
The second quarter wasn't as kind as the Ravens were just 3-of-12 from the field. A 20-14 first-quarter lead disappeared when the Wildcats leveled the game at 23-23 late in the quarter, but the Ravens quickly answered to take a 28-23 lead into the break. Kennedy Nicholson hit a 3-pointer to put the Ravens back in front, then a Ravens steal turned into a Nicole Storck basket down low.
In all, the Ravens forced 12 Baker turnovers in the first half.
The third quarter was another physical, defensive battle that saw the visiting Wildcats chip 3 points off the Ravens lead. The teams headed into the final quarter with the Ravens leading 40-38. The Ravens then briefly gave up the lead in the fourth quarter, but made the plays down the stretch to get their fifth-straight win of the season.
The Ravens (9-4, 7-2 Heart) will have an extended break before coming back for a 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3 home game against Park University.
