After trailing by double-digits at halftime, Allen Community College’s womens basketball team stormed back in the second half only to lose 80-75 against Neosho on Wednesday night.
In the first half, Allen was able to stay close thanks to four 3-pointers from three different players — Haley Wilson hit two, Daria Evans scored one and Erika Essman converted one. Essman’s three put the game at 27-24 in favor of Neosho with 4:25 left in the first half. That’s when the Panthers went on a 10-2 run to close the half and lead 36-26.
“For once we actually won the rebounding battle, we also had the same amount of field goals made as they did,” ACC coach Katie Mahoney said. “Free throws were the big difference — we missed eight, they missed one. That, and there were a few bad decisions toward the end of the game and turnovers.”
However, the Red Devils did give themselves a chance to win the game. Allen started its comeback with 8:55 left in the game. They went on a 12-0 run that lasted until the six-minute mark. Emily Azubell started it with a transition layup. Evans hit a deep jumper — her foot was on the 3-point line, so it was just a two. Josie Reilly scored on a pro-hop. Then, Daniela Azubell and Emily Azubell each hit 3-pointers. Allen trailed only 61-60 after the run.
With 2:50 left in the game, Allen tied it with a 3-pointer from Evans. She had a big game, finishing with a game-high 22 points and was 3-3 from beyond the arc. Down 74-68, Evans hit another 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to pull Allen to within one possession again. But, the Red Devils had to resort to fouling to stop the clock for the final seconds. It didn’t help that the Panthers were deadly from the line, making 19-20 free throws.
“We waited too long to play that hard,” Mahoney said. “If (our players) would have played as hard as they did in the last 15 minutes in the first half, we wouldn’t have been in that situation. We’re still learning. Every game we’re still learning something, so we’ll learn and move on.”
After Evans, Emily Azubell finished with 17 points, making 7-9 of her shots. Wilson finished with 11 points and made 3-5 from beyond the arc.
Allen (5-21) plays at Cowley on Saturday.
“We competed, I was glad to see them compete, play hard and finish strong,” Mahoney said. “But, we’ve got to do that the whole game.”
ACC women fall short to Neosho
