MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Rockford University women's basketball team suffered its second tough loss in the last three games falling 49-47 on the road to the MSOE Raiders. Unlike last Saturday when the Regents lost on a three-pointer at the buzzer, this time Rockford had the ball in the closing moments with a chance to tie or take the lead but came up just short. The Regents and Raiders finished with nearly identical stats; however, the Raiders were able to make more plays down the stretch to come out victorious.
The game got off to a good start for the Regents as Diamond Williams (Carpentersville, Ill.) scored on Rockford's opening possession to give her team a 2-0 lead. However, that would be the only time Rockford led the entire first half as the Raiders promptly scored the next 8 points to grab an early 8-2 advantage. The Raiders eventually built their lead up to game-high 9 points with just over 9 minutes remaining before halftime. Following a timeout, the Regents put together a 7-0 run to close the half and get back within 2 points. Over that 9 minute stretch, junior Diamond Williams went a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line while guard Amanda Davis (Mundelein, Ill.) drained a three-pointer in the final seconds to make it a 23-21 MSOE lead entering halftime.
After the Raiders and Regents traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, Rockford was able to tie the game and then retake the lead with 13 minutes and 44 seconds remaining. Senior Callie Rezin (Rockford, Ill.) pulled the Regents back even at 32-32 after knocking down her first jumper of the afternoon. Moments later, Diamond Williams connected on a layup to put Rockford back in front for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. The ladies continued to build on their lead pushing it to as many as 5 points on multiple different occasions, including holding a 47-42 advantage with 3 minutes and 4 seconds remaining. However this time it was the Raiders who used a 7-0 run to go on top 49-47 with only 14 seconds remaining. Rockford had one final opportunity to tie or take the lead, but unfortunately it was not meant to be as the Regents turned the ball over on the final play of the game.
Juniors Amanda Davis and Diamond Williams combined to score 28 of Rockford's 47 points. Davis scored 14 points on an impressive 5-of-8 shooting performance including going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. She rounded out her stat line with 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Williams also tallied 14 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and forcing 2 seals.
Mallorie Getzelman (Bryon, Ill.) and Katie Clark (Rock City, Ill.) each played well for the Regents. Getzelman recorded 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal while Clark grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with 4 points.
The RU women's basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday, February 3 at home against the Aurora University Spartans. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Seaver Center.
