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Lady Saints end losing streak with win over Panthers
The Advocate
Head coach Larry Davis and the Lady Saints were happy to put their four-game skid behind them after posting a 74-65 victory over the Portland Panthers Saturday night at home.
"We were on a four game skid there," Davis said Tuesday afternoon. "It was a well earned win. Definitely a game that we knew we had to get. (It) gets us back on track for the second half."
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This was the second time this season the Lady Saints (7-13, 3-5) won easily over the Panthers (4-15, 0-8). This was the final meeting of the season between the two.
The injury-riddled and fragile Lady Saints are now with a full 10-player roster for the first time. All 10 players saw playing time in Saturday night's action.
Freshman guard Noelle Laffoon, in just her third game of the regular season scored a team-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field including 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Right behind her was sophomore forward Jackie Cannon, who had her fourth double-double of the season: 19 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Natalie Humble, sister of former Saint Brooklyn Humble Bahme (2008-10), pitched in with 13 points off the bench in just 18 minutes of action.
"I have to give all the credit to my teammates," Laffoon said Tuesday night. "Basketball is a true team effort and I would not have been able to have those shots if my teammates didn't create the chances for me."
Both teams had a hard time handling the ball on the offensive end of the court. The Lady Saints turned the ball over 28 times, while the Panthers committed 23 turnovers.
Although the Panthers have had little to no success in the win-loss department, they have landed a sharp shooter in freshman guard Arquaezia Jackson. Jackson ended with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point line. Jackson is the third-leading scorer in the NWAACC, averaging 19.6 points per game.
Asked what the team learned from this game and moving forward, freshman forward Melssia Carey said Tuesday night, "We need to capitalize on our mistakes and play like we know how to."
That mindset worked well for the Lady Saints, who capitalized early with a 38-31 lead at the half. As a team they shot 39.06 from the field (25-of-64) compared to a poor shooting night by the Panthers, who shot 29.85 percent from the field (20-of-67).
Freshman guard Gina Binachi added, "We learned what we are potentially capable of. It wasn't necessarily our best playing (ability). But we saw glimpses of what we can do and what every girl on our team can do with the ball. Especially Noelle's shooting.
"I'm just excited to see what we can do in our upcoming games. We're trying to put it all together. Hoping that the games go our way in the end."
Laffoon added, "Every game is an opportunity to grow and we take each game as a building block. The idea is that each game we can improve and learn new things — that goes well with our team."
The Lady Saints look to add to create a win-streak today in 5:30 p.m. action with the Linn-Benton Roadrunners (5-13, 3-5) and then hit the road for a Saturday game with the Lane Titans (16-4, 6-2) at 4 p.m. in Eugene.
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