By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – After getting off to an excellent start and leading for 26 of the 40 minutes, the Chadron State College women's basketball team was one point short when time ran out, falling to Adams State 68-67 in the final game of the season at home on Saturday afternoon.
Both senior Ashayla Powers and junior Megan Counts finished with 12 points to lead the Eagles in scoring, but 11 total Chadron State players scored. Counts led CSC in rebounding with nine, missing her third double-double in four games by just a single rebound.
The Eagles end the season at 6-20 overall with a 5-15 record in the RMAC. Adams State improved to 19-10 overall and 14-6 in conference with the win.
Coach Travis Brewster said the loss was disappointing, but noted Adams State had defeated his team 82-59 when they played January 16 on the Grizzlies' court and said the Eagles improved as the season evolved.
"We executed our game plan really well today and have improved so much that they wanted to win this one against a really good team," Brewster said. "Our team has ended the season with great compatibility."
While the Eagles jumped out to a 19-11 first quarter lead and were ahead by as many as 13 points early in the second period, neither team ever led by more than four points during the final 15 minutes. It appeared that the team which had the ball last would win, which seemed to favor the Eagles.
The Eagles had closed out each of the first three quarters with the last basket in the fleeting seconds. Forward Megan Counts ended the first period by making a layup with four seconds left, giving the Eagles their eight-point lead. Guard Kylie Krise nailed a 3-pointer as time was expiring at halftime, putting CSC ahead 36-33. And the third quarter ended when guard Jordyn Stokes drove for a layup that knotted the score at 52-52.
In the fourth, Chadron State had the ball off an inbounds play with six seconds remaining in regulation, but didn't get off a shot before the final buzzer blared.
Adams had a pair of players who were hard to stop. Six-foot freshman post Taejhuan Hill finished with a season-high 29 points while making 7-of-15 field goal shots and drawing 11 fouls that allowed her to go 15-of-18 at the free throw line. She also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
In addition, Kiiyani Anitielu, a 5-7 junior, added 18 points while only four other Grizzlies scored and none of them more than seven. This wasn't Anitielu's big game of the season, but she was still a force. Two weeks ago she poured in 52 points during a 98-45 win over Westminster to set the RMAC all-time scoring record.
Overall, Adams State was 20 of 58 (34.5 percent) and CSC was 23 of 61 (37.7 percent) from the field Saturday. Both teams had six 3-pointers, but Hill's free throw bonanza allowed the Grizzlies to go 22-29 at the line while the Eagles were 15-19.
Behind Powers and Counts, Liberty Line was CSC's third-leading scorer with seven points while seniors Kadyn Comer and Olivia Waufle had six points apiece. Comer, Waufle and Powers, who were all honored pregame for Senior Night, were all in the starting lineup, with Comer and Waufle each playing a season-high in minutes.
Adams State—Taejhuan Hill 29, Kiiyani Anitielu 18, Ri'Ahana Davis 7, Cristiabel Longe 6, Mykaila Pickard 6, Brooke Rodgers 2. Totals: 20-58 FG (6-28 3PT) 22-29 FT. 68 points, 41 rebounds, 12 assists, 14 turnovers.