Women’s Basketball drops Quarterfinal game to Monroe

HARRISON, AR – A “tough out” in the Monroe Tribunes (31-2) stood in the way of the ICC Women’s Basketball team (27-8) in Thursday night’s quarterfinal of the national tournament at North Arkansas College’s Pioneer Pavilion.

ICC was able to keep the game close to start, holding the top-seeded Tribunes to 16 first quarter points. However, the Cougars couldn’t get the offense going the whole first half. Just a 10-point quarter for ICC had them down six after ten minutes of play.

The second quarter saw Monroe with their best scoring output of the game. So much so, that the Cougars were forced to call three of their five allotted timeouts before the half. Abby Coates had a good first half for the Cougars, leading the team after two quarters with six points. It’s the second consecutive game that Coates has been a key contributor in the first half for ICC. Although the offense did improve after just hitting double figures in the first, it just wasn’t enough. A three in the late-going of the second by Krystal Walker gave ICC a little momentum nudge before the clock ran out, but Monroe still maintained a 38-26 lead headed to the halftime locker room.

ICC Head Coach Karrie Redeker thinks that her team’s play in the first half was just one reason for the result of the game.

“We were a little flat early. We had a lack of energy at the beginning. We were back on our heels a little bit. We just didn’t play as well as we could have in the first half.”

The second half, however, was a much different story for the Cougars. The third quarter saw a rejuvenated ICC team to start. Then came Jaynelle Robinson for the Tribunes. One of the better post players the Cougars have seen all season, she was a big factor down the stretch, starting her dominance in the third. Monroe head coach Tim Parrinello agrees.

“She came alive at the right time. She was struggling in the first half. She’s fighting some leg cramps. She made baskets down the stretch when we needed it.”

Despite the re-energized Cougars, Robinson’s start to control the game still had Monroe out-scoring ICC in the third, and also having a 58-43 lead with just a quarter to go.

ICC needed an excellent fourth quarter to find their way back into this game. They did. The Cougars had the shots falling, fouls coming, and free throws falling as well, dropping a game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. On the other side, Monroe’s scoring was actually tied for their lowest. It seemed to be a flip of the script to what happened in the Ancilla game, as the Cougars may have just ran out of time. However, Coach Redeker believes it may not have just been that.

“Some of it was us. They’re a very good team; wouldn’t be getting to the final four if they weren’t. We certainly had them on the ropes in the second half. We just needed to have more fight. I think our kids understand that.”

The final score, despite a big Cougars comeback, had ICC falling short to the #1 Tribunes, 74-67. Abby Coates, Madison Faulkner, and Jasmine Levy all lead the Cougars with 10 points apiece. Faulkner and Coates also brought in a team-high six rebounds each.

Despite the loss, Redeker is confident her girls will be prepared for tomorrow’s game in the consolation bracket.

“They’re ready to go. We just have to focus on tomorrow. That’s all we can control.”

ICC will play the loser of the Mesa – Owens game, which was the nightcap following ICC – Monroe. The Cougars’ game will tip off at 3:00 pm Friday, March 23rd.