MORGANTOWN – If basketball games were only two quarters or if it was possible to skip the second half, the University girls’ basketball team would likely have a better record right now.
Instead, basketball is a four-quarter sport, and the Hawks (5-7) dropped a 53-50 contest to visiting Buckhannon-Upshur on Tuesday.
“That third quarter just gets us,” UHS first-year head coach Nick Lusk said. “There’s something I got to do; got to figure it out. I’m not sure if the pressure is getting to us or what.”
Tuesday’s third quarter started out pretty good for the Hawks as they built a seven-point lead on the strength of a 10-4 run that was capped by a layup from Ashlyn Weaver. The problem is UHS hit just five more field goals the rest of the way as the Buccaneers (10-3) forced 11 second-half turnovers.
The key for B-U was a switch from its normal 1-2-2 defense to a 1-3-1 that pressured the UHS ball handlers.
“We mixed it up a little bit,” B-U head coach Rob Kittle said. “We put Shelby (McDaniels) in the back, and she just plays free safety back there and she was able to get her hands on so many balls.”
McDaniels finished with nine steals to go along with her game-high 24 points in the contest.
The defensive switch forced the Hawks to go with their better ball handling lineup and their post players to the bench.
“It was a good move on their part,” Lusk said.
Kittle said the defensive move helped clear the paint for the Bucs and allowed them to get out and run more.
“We were hoping to make them go to a different lineup,” Kittle said. “They killed us on the offensive glass in the first half. We still gave some up in the second half, but we did a better job.”
UHS still hung tight in the contest as Ella Simpson, who returned after a 14-day close-contact COVID quarantine, hit a jump shot to tie the game at 46 mid-way through the final frame. However, the Bucs hit seven free throws down the stretch, all by McDaniels, and were outscored 9-3 in the final minutes of the contest.
Lusk did say games like this one are giving his team some much-needed experience.
At the end of the contest, UHS had two freshmen and two sophomores on the court.
“We are getting better,” Lusk said. “I keep saying that, then we keep doing the same thing. It’s a little bit of our youth that is showing at times. It’s going to make us better in the long run.”
Simpson led the Hawks with 17 points and nine rebounds along with four steals and two blocks. Freshman Lyla Byers added 10 points while Weaver had nine, Emily Sharkey scored eight and Jereiah Martin scored five with eight rebounds.
University returns to action on Monday when it hosts Brooke at 7:30 p.m.
By ERIC HERTER
Buckhannon-Upshur (10-3)
McDaniels 7 10-13 24, Maxwell 2 0-1 6, Parke 4 0-0 9, Currence 3 0-2 6, Abel 0 3-6 3, Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 13-22 53
B-U 14 10 14 15 – 53
UHS 12 13 15 10 – 50
University (5-7)
Simpson 5 6-6 17, Weaver 4 0-0 9, Dean 0 1-3 1, Sharkey 2 2-4 8, Byers 3 3-4 10, Martin 2 1-2 5. Totals: 16 13-20 50.
3-Pointers – BU: McDaniels, Parke, Maxwell 2. UHS: Simpson, Weaver, Byers, Sharkey 2.
