Ladies bow to SLCC in Idaho
The College of Eastern Utah Lady Eagles wrapped up the 2008-09 season last weekend in Idaho after getting knocked out of the Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament, losing to Salt Lake Community College Lady Bruins 77-54.
The Eagles and Bruins faced off three times in a row, starting with the Friday Feb. 27, match-up at the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center. CEU came into the game riding a high, after beating Snow College twice the previous weekend. The ladies were able to continue their run of great play and beat SLCC 78-74 the first night.
This archived article was written by: Nathan Davis
The College of Eastern Utah Lady Eagles wrapped up the 2008-09 season last weekend in Idaho after getting knocked out of the Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament, losing to Salt Lake Community College Lady Bruins 77-54.
The Eagles and Bruins faced off three times in a row, starting with the Friday Feb. 27, match-up at the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center. CEU came into the game riding a high, after beating Snow College twice the previous weekend. The ladies were able to continue their run of great play and beat SLCC 78-74 the first night.
Coach Dave Paur was pleased by the play of his team, particularly the play of Adriana Cordova, who had 15 points, five rebounds and “played the best game of the year.” Veronica Siqueiros added 14 points, including three three-pointers in the win. He said “it was the first time we’ve beat SLCC in a couple years … We played great defense, it was a good win.”
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the two teams faced off for the second time. CEU came in riding a three-game-winning streak, and looked to end the regular season with a fourth straight win. The Eagles once again played hard, but dropped the game in the end against a tough SLCC team. It was close game, and with seven minutes left in the second half, the lady Eagles had an eight-point lead.
Amber Strong led the ladies in scoring with 18 points. Kaylie Robison turned in another great performance with 16 points. Kasey Day and Livnat Alon also chipped in 11 points for CEU. Despite having four players in double digits, the Eagles were unable to pull out another win due to what Paur said was poor shooting and bad-time management.
The game was close for much of the contest, Paur said, “it went right down to the last minute. It was a one-point game with 50 seconds left.” SLCC was able to get a crucial rebound after a foul shot, thanks to a push that received no call from the officials. The Bruins went on to win 86-82.
The Eagles and Bruins met for a third straight game when they were paired again in the opening round of the SWAC tournament in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The lady Eagles were in impressive form and for the past three weeks, CEU shot 45 percent from the field. They looked to continue their good shooting and knock SLCC out of the tournament.
CEU jumped to an early lead, and by the first media timeout, the Eagles were up 7-6. The ladies were unable to hold on to their early lead, and midway through the first half, SLCC took control and never looked back. The Eagles were plagued by poor shooting, and finished the game shooting 28 percent from the field. As Paur said “we couldn’t hit a shot.” SLCC dominated most of the game and won easily with a final score of 77-54.
The Lady Eagles ended the season with a 15-16 record, finishing fifth in the SWAC ahead only of perennial cellar dwellers Colorado Northwestern Community College.
With the season over, Paur is looking ahead to next year. He has been doing a lot of recruiting and received four-verbal commitments. Paur is continuing to recruit players from out of the country, bringing in Bruna Deichmann and Samara Matthes, both members of the Brazilian Junior National Team. Also joining the team next season will be Alyssa Johnson from Sacramento, Calif., and Brook Hiatt from Payson High School.
