Hard-fought game has 5 tied scores before the Lopers’ defeat at the hands of the Lindenwood Lions
Ellen Laird
Antelope Sports
It was a bitter end to the Lady Loper season this last Tuesday as the team fell to the ninth-seed Lindenwood Lions 85-68. This game was the MIAA Tournament first-round opener on the Buckle Court at the Health & Sports Center in Kearney.
With an 12-15 record coming into the game, the Lopers had a good chance of sweeping the Lions with the momentum from their big win the weekend before against Southwest Baptist University Bearcats.
UNK beat the Lindenwood Lions earlier in the season 69-55. They had a lead on the Lions with a 7-1 run closing the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with four points to pass up the Lions 62-58. It wasn’t long after the Lions attacked with 13-0 run to seal the deal.
Ending the night, Battle Creek junior Michaela Barry racked up 22 points. She was the high scorer and also the only Loper to reach double digits for points. Barry was one point away from tying the overall high scoring player of the game, Lindenwood Lion Lindsay Medlen with 23 points.
UNK was beat down in the paint 42-26, and similarly off the glass 47-26. The margin was huge offensively for rebounds. UNK had two to Lindenwood’s 12.
Barry All-MIAA 3rd Team
To end the season on a good note, UNK will be represented on the 2017 All-MIAA team by junior guard Michaela Barry. She was chosen to play for the third team. She will end her season with a career best 28, and in her three years of collegiate basketball, she has scored 936 points on 151 three-point attmepts according to www.lopers.com.
UNK fought hard to take the lead throughout the game, and tied the score five times. The lead changed six times with the biggest lead for LWU by 17 in the fourth quarter.
This loss was a bittersweet end for the four seniors. From Arizona, senior point guard Alexa Hogberg had seven points; five assists, and ended the season and her career as the UNK All-Time Assist Leader. Hogberg is an exercise science major. Dannebrog recreation park tourism management senior wing Courtney Aitken from scored nine points, three rebounds and ripped away three steals.
South Dakota senior psychobiology/optometry major Kelsey Fitzgerald ended her night in the paint with seven points and six rebounds. Missouri senior Nieka Wheeler scored three points and fought for five rebounds. Wheeler is a criminal justice major.
University Kearney Lopers ends their 2016-17 season with an overall 12-16 record, and a conference record of 8-11.
