<ite a defensive performance that caused opponent Saint Mary’s University to commit 39 turnovers, the Carleton College women’s basketball team was unable to catch up to the Cardinals and suffered a 68-55 road setback.
“Once we settled ourselves in the first half, I was very pleased with our defensive effort,” said Carleton head coach Cassie Kosiba. “We limited their second chances and forced them into rushed decisions. Where we struggled was in our ability to capitalize on the offensive end. This is a tough league and in order to win, we must be able to put together a complete game.”
Saint Mary’s, fresh off a win against national No. 9 St. Thomas, seized the early momentum in the game and quickly established a double-digit lead. With 10:54 to play in the opening frame, an old-fashioned three-point play by Jenny Ramey ‘14 sparked a 16-7 Carleton run that closed the gap to 11 points heading into the break.
Carleton (4-7, 2-6 MIAC) failed to erase the deficit in the second half, being narrowly outscored 39-37 over the final twenty minutes of play.
The Knights were productive at the charity stripes, converting 19-23 (.826) of their free throws. Carleton also benefitted from an 18-point performance by Skylar Tsutsui ‘15, in addition to 10 total points from Ramey. Freshman guard Claire Thallon added 8 points and tallied 7 rebounds in the loss.