Women fall in first round of postseason
Smith, Weir lead Pioneers in last game wearing green and gold
March 5, 2019
The women’s basketball team played their final game of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 20 when the Pioneers traveled to IU Kokomo for the River States Conference (RSC) quarterfinals.
Point Park came out hot, shooting 42 percent overall in the first half.
The Pioneers’ lead reached as high as 11 points in the first quarter and held a 24-15 lead after the first ten minutes.
IU Kokomo fought back in the second quarter, but after 20, Point Park still maintained the lead, 37-31.
Point Park had a big first half, but the Cougars came out with an even bigger second half that ultimately sealed the Pioneers’ fate.
The third quarter was the turning point for the entire game, as IU Kokomo scored 22 points, the most of any quarter up to that point, and limited Point Park’s offense to just four points.
With a 53-41 IU Kokomo lead with ten minutes of play left, the Pioneers tried to fight their way back into it, but the Cougars again out-scored Point Park 24-19 in the final quarter.
Because of the second half leaning in favor of the Cougars, Point Park ended their season with a 77-60 road loss.
Senior Sam Weir and Kaitlyn Smith led the way in their final career games. Weir came up big with her final double-double, scoring 24 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and notching seven blocks. Smith tallied 12 points and led all Pioneers with four assists.
Junior guards Ariana Sanders, Baylie Mook and Tyra James each contributed seven points apiece, and Sanders grabbed six additional rebounds. Sophomore forward Carly Lutz added nine rebounds to the stat sheet.
The Pioneers were without sophomore guard Michelle Burns, who sat out of the final two and a half games due to injury.
Overall, Point Park was just one rebound shy of the Cougars’ 46, but committed 17 total turnovers, eight of which came in the crucial third period.
IU Kokomo went on to the RSC semifinals, but was defeated by the RSC East No. 1 seed WVU Tech 91-78 three days after their victory against Point Park.
