Ancilla women split in Chicago
CHICAGO — This past weekend, the Marian University Ancilla Women’s Basketball team followed up a week of final exams with a pair of games in Chicago. Friday night, they took on Wilbur Wright College, winning easily, 93-23. Saturday afternoon, it was a much tougher opponent in Malcolm X College, and despite a fourth-quarter lead, the Chargers fell 58-47 at the final horn.
Wilbur Wright (W 93-23): The Chargers scored early and often, plus they used three quarters of single-digit defense to overwhelm the host Rams. Five ladies scored in double figures, including career highs from a pair of reserves. Sophomore Kaelyn Ortiz-Vaudt caught fire in the second quarter, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, on her way to a career-best 13 points. Later, Freshman guard Mari Mason found the basket on five occasions, scoring a personal best 11 points herself. Other statistics standing out were the additional double-figure scorers in Sophomore Aaliyah Keil (19 points), Sophomore Santana Eubanks (15 points), and Freshman Tianna Guy (11 points). Guy’s 11 points were also a career high for the occasional starter. Sophomores Ga’Naysia White and Santana Eubanks each hauled in 10 rebounds, Keil led the team with 6 assists, plus Keil and Eubanks each came up with 5 thefts on the evening.
Malcolm X (L 58-47): It was much tougher to find the basket Saturday afternoon, as the Chargers struggled for points early; however, after trailing 10-0 to begin the game, they took a 42-36 lead midway through the fourth quarter. From that point forward, though, the Hawks knocked down three 3-pointers to take the lead, then stretched it out by utilizing their incredible size inside to control the boards late, finishing the game on a 22-5 run. Sophomore Annika Davis led Marian Ancilla with 17 points, including a solid 4-for-9 performance from long range. Double-double machine Santana Eubanks added 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Aaliyah Keil tossed in 10 points.
The Women’s Basketball team has two remaining contests before heading home for the holiday break. This Thursday, the Chargers will head to Detroit to take on Community Christian College. Saturday, they return to play at home at the LifePlex in Plymouth against the Terra State Titans. Thursday is scheduled to be a 5:30 p.m. tip, with Saturday’s game beginning at 12:30 p.m.
