ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's basketball team battled back from a 21-point deficit but ran out of time to complete the comeback in a 77-72 defeat against Rochester on Saturday. Peyton Banks (Wadsworth, Ohio) tallied 26 points to lead the Saints in the losing effort.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Rochester 77, Siena Heights 72
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Rochester (8-1, 7-0 WHAC), Siena Heights (8-4, 5-3 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Banks got things rolling for the Saints with the first basket of the game in the opening half-minute of the contest. Kelsey Wyman (Blissfield, Mich.) hit a three and Banks made another to complete a 6-0 run and build a 10-6 lead with 6:22 remaining in the first. That lead turned would be Siena's largest of the game as a 5-0 run by the Warriors put them on top 11-10 just over two minutes later. With 1:58 left, Banks made a layup to tie the game at 16. Shelby Morrow (Flushing, Mich.) hit a shot from deep with four seconds left to give Siena the 19-18 lead at the end of the quarter.
Rochester began the second with a 5-0 run to take a 23-19 lead. Follow two made free throws by Wyman, the Warriors jumped on a 10-0 run for the game's first double-digit lead, 35-23, with 2:48 left in the first half. The lead would get extended to 42-27 as the teams entered the locker room at the half.
Sha'kyia Parker (Grand Rapids, Mich.) drilled a three-point jumper that started a 5-0 run for the Saints and brought the score to just a 10-point margin. However, the Warriors used a 7-0 run for a 17-point, 49-32, cushion. A three-pointer a few plays later gave Rochester its largest lead, 58-39 with 4:44 on the clock in the third. Banks made a layup at the 3:53 mark that sparked a 14-0 run for Siena that ran through the rest of the quarter and cut the deficit to just seven points (58-51) going into the final period.
The teams traded three-point buckets through the first seven minutes of the fourth before Morrow made one at the 3:16 mark that sparked a 9-0 run for SHU and had the team just one point from tying things up, 73-72, with just 24 seconds left in regulation. The Saints intentionally fouled to preserve time, but the Warriors hit their free throws to seal the win.
TOP SAINTS
• Banks finished 10-14 from the floor, 2-5 from deep, and a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, one steal, and one block to her totals.
• Wyman finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. She was 1-5 from three and 3-4 from the charity stripe. She had a game-high five assists while also pulling down five rebounds and two swipes.
• Parker was 3-8 shooting for eight points. She dished two assists.
• Morrow also tallied eight points on 3-6 shooting while leading the team with three steals.
THE OPPOSITION
• Four of the five starters for Rochester finished with double-digit points. Jacara Thompson led the way with 29.
• Delaney Bolles led the team with nine rebounds while also having 17 points.
UP NEXT
The Saints will hit the road for a short trip to Sylvania, Ohio to face Lourdes on Valentine's Day (February 14). The game is slated to begin at noon EST.