4th-quarter flurry overwhelms Central women’s basketball squad
Central College
ROCK ISLAND, ILL.— A slow start and an even bumpier finish broke open a close game and sent the Central College women’s basketball team to an 81-55 defeat at Augustana College (Ill.) Saturday afternoon.
Down 7-0 before regaining their footing, the Dutch (1-6) clawed their way back to a 33-29 halftime deficit and was still within 52-48 after three periods. But Augustana caught fire in the fourth quarter, blitzing Central 29-7.
Forward Claire Marburger (freshman, Perry) narrowly missed her fourth double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Another freshman, guard Kaitlyn Johnson (Stockport, Van Buren HS) added a career-best 14 points. Central was outrebounded 47-32 and shot just 33.3 percent from the field, including a chilly 30.8 percent in the second half.
“Augustana is really improved,” coach Chelsea Petersen said. “It’s a tough place to play and a tough place to get a win. We really felt like we had a good week of practice and for 32 minutes, we executed the game plan very well. Defensively, we were really locked in.”
Augustana’s 5-foot-11 senior forward Marissa Pezzopane was too much for the Dutch with 31 points and 12 boards, while junior guard Mikayla Fallon came off the bench to add 28. Only one other player had more than four points for the Vikings (5-3), although Central also struggled against 6-5 junior center Kaycee Kallenberger.
Central had cut its deficit to 50-48 following a Johnson 3-pointer with 1:04 left in the third period. But then the Vikings caught fire, going on a 28-2 burst that included 20 straight unanswered points.
“When they went on their run, we didn’t defend well and we didn’t execute,” Petersen said. “When you let a team shoot 56 percent in the second half on its home court, that’s too high. We needed someone to step up and hit a shot or step up and get a good defensive possession.”
Central’s freshman- and sophomore-dominated lineup has trouble maintaining its focus for the full 40 minutes, Petersen said. The best remedy is experience.
“When the game gets close, we’ve got to be able to handle those runs,” she said. “That’s hard to simulate in practice.”
Confidence is also crucial.
“We need to continue to play and continue to get better,” Petersen said. “We need to embrace the fact that we’re a good team and not be surprised when we’re in the game with a chance to win.”
Petersen did like the offensive production provided by Marburger and Johnson.
“Claire stepped up and Kaitlyn stepped up,” she said. “Both are really aggressive and scored the basketball today. I was happy with those two.”
Central breaks for final fall semester exams, then travels to New Ulm, Minn. Thursday for a women’s-men’s doubleheader with Martin Luther (Minn.) at 4 p.m. The Knights are 2-4 heading into a game at Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) Saturday.
The Dutch close out the pre-Christmas schedule Saturday with a home contest against Fontbonne (Mo.). They’re then off until the Pikes Peak Holiday Invitational Dec. 28-29 at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
Academics take priority but the Dutch need to be ready when they take the floor Thursday.
“It’s just a matter of preparation and focus,” she said.
And getting back in the win column would give the team a much-needed mental boost.
“If we get two wins, things will feel entirely different going into the Colorado trip,” Petersen said.
