ROCKFORD, Ill.- A ten day break for some teams can result in a lot of rust when returning to the court, but not for the Rockford University women's basketball team. The long break refreshed the team's offense and, after a slow start in the first half, Rockford's offense exploded and took over the game in the second half. The Beloit College Buccaneers could not find an answer to Rockford's offense and fell to the Regents 76-66.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the first half. Rockford tied the game up at ten at the 14:32 mark after a layup by Katie Clark (Rock City, Ill.). A made free throw by Amanda Davis (Mundelein, Ill.) on the Regents next possession gave Rockford its first lead of the game. A minute later, Clark made another layup to put Rockford up 13-10. Soon after, Beloit hit a three-pointer and a layup to go ahead 15-13. Clark once again made a layup to tie the game for the Regents. The Buccaneers answered by going on an 8-0 run that was ended at the 10:25 mark by a layup byTajanae Key (Rockford, Ill.).
Rockford and Beloit went back-and-forth over the next seven minutes with Rockford slowly eating away at the lead. A couple of baskets by Casey Pettit (Rockford, Ill.) and Clark kept Rockford in the game. Davis then hit a couple of jumpers on back-to-back possessions by the Regents to tie the game up at 31 with just less than two minutes to go in the half. Beloit went on a 4-0 run to end the half up 35-31.
The Regents started the second half hot. Mallorie Getzelman (Byron, Ill.) started the scoring with a layup and a jump shot by Clark tied it on Rockford's next possession. Pettit then made layups on back-to-back possessions to put Rockford up 39-37. Over the next couple of minutes the lead would change multiple times. A layup by Clark at the 15:44 mark put Rockford up 44-43. Despite multiple runs by Beloit throughout the rest of the second half, the Regents would not relinquish their lead for the rest of the game. A dominate offense in the second half, led by Clark, resulted in Rockford outscoring Beloit by 14 in the half and winning the game 76-66.
Clark was a force throughout the game. She finished with a game high 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting. She also finished with 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Close behind Clark in scoring was Davis with 17 points. Davis added in five rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
Also in double-digit scoring was the freshman Pettit with ten. She added in four assists, two steals, a rebound, and a block. Getzelman's big second half resulted in her finishing with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Diamond Williams (Carpentersville, Ill.) was quiet in the scoring column with four points, but she had a great all-around game. She finished with 11 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a block.
Rockford's season continues in the New Year with a 2:00 pm game at Concordia Wisconsin on January 3. The Regents do not return home until January 10 when Marian comes to town for a 2:00 pm game.
