The Lady Jays fell behind early Wednesday night and never recovered, as the No. 1-ranked Minneapolis Marauders defeated Minnesota West 87-65 in a women's MCCC Southern Division basketball tilt.
Gabriella Gustafson and Amy Kelvie paced the Marauders with 26 and 25 points, respectively. Lakita Davis and Shakira Owens pitched in with 10 apiece.
The Lady Jays (3-3, 10-11) were led by sophomore Krista Beek with 23 points. Laura Bents knocked down 11 points to help Minnesota West's cause.
Kelvie, who scored just two points against the Lady Jays in Minneapolis, Jan. 14, was particularly effective from the perimeter -- draining four 3-pointers.
"The Kelvie girl had the game of her life," Minnesota West head coach Mike Fury said following the game. "Had she been out of the picture, the game might have been closer."
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As it turned out, Kelvie and the Marauders jumped out to an early 18-point lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Gustafson set the tone for the game with an opening-possession 3-pointer and then muscled up a bucket down low to put Minneapolis on track.
The Marauders kept the Lady Jays on their heels with a physical inside game balanced with some acute perimeter shooting. But Minnesota West responded as the half progressed.
Both Bents and Beek were able to capitalize on the Marauders punishing defense by getting to the line and converting their 1-and-1 opportunities. With 3 minutes remaining in the half, the Lady Jays had whittled the lead down to 10 points at 31-21.
But Minneapolis, as quickly as it had lost the momentum, turned the tables. Kelvie hit a shot from beyond the arc and Gustafson found paydirt with two 14-foot jumpers. Davis and Owens delivered on strong moves underneath and the Marauders had it back up to 20, 44-24, at the intermission.
"They (Minneapolis) are just so quick and well-balanced," Fury said. "And we have to work so hard to play defense on them. They're a nice team."
The Marauders picked up right where they left off to begin the second half. Kelvie set the pace with a quick three, as Minneapolis threatened to open up a 30-point lead.
Trailing 61-33, the Lady Jays decided they needed to start playing a 3-for-2 game. Amanda Nash, Brittany Williams and Paige Bergeland all came off the bench to post 3-pointers in the second half. Williams hit both of her shots, while Nash was 2-of-3 and Bergeland found net on her one attempt. The strategy worked for a few minutes, as Minnesota West pulled to within 12 points at 65-53.
But the Marauders had seen enough, as Huldah Omesa answered with a three. Owens and Davis hit from the inside, effectively putting the game out of reach.
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Minneapolis 44 43 -- 87
MW 24 41 -- 65
Minneapolis (3FG, 2FG, FT, Total points): Gustafson 2-8-3-25, Owens 0-4-2-10, Kelvie 4-5-2-26, Young 0-0-3-3, Omesa 1-2-0-7, Davis 0-5-0-10, Jeffrie 0-3-0-6. Total 7-27-12-87.
MW (3FG, 2FG, FT, Total points): Brame 0-1-2-4, Nash 2-0-0-6, Dekker 0-3-2-8, Bergeland 1-0-0-3, Jansen 0-2-0-4, Williams 2-0-0-6, Bents 0-4-3-11, Beek 1-4-12-23. Total 6-14-19-65.
