SDSU loses to ranked A-10 foe, then beats SIU to go 1-1

Ariy-El Boynton

Ariy-El Boynton

In the last 20 games the SDSU women’s basketball team has been in the losing locker room only on two seperate occasions. It is easy to say that they are not used to being in an awkward and quiet locker room.

Despite giving the Colonials a very good game without the services of Jennifer Warkenthien, Stacie Oistad and Laura Nielsen-who are injured-GW forced the Jackrabbits to a defeated clubhouse with a 65-60 victory in the first day of the George Washington Thanksgiving Classic.

The Jacks went stride for stride with GW for the majority of the game. Both teams went on many runs, and although GW would never trail in the game, the Jackrabbits made it awful close.

With just a little under a minute left to play, freshman Kristin Rotert hit a clutch three-pointer to make the game 61-58. Following a GW error, senior Andrea Verdegan made a layup with 33 seconds left to go in the game. In the end, the Colonials (4-1, 0-0) were too much for SDSU and GW senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence sealed the game with four free throws.

Rotert finished the night with 15 points, all of which came from behind the line, as she led the Jacks in scoring. Verdegan added 12 points in the losing effort.

GW’s Jessica Adair finished the night with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kimberly Beck finsished with 16 points and a game high of 10 assists.

Coming off their first loss of the season, the youthful Lady Jacks were determined to get back in the win column. Victory was indeed what they got, when they beat the Southern Illinois Salukis 62-53 to close out the Thanksgiving Classic.

Consective three-pointers by Ashlea Muckenhirn and Rotert kept the Jackrabbits within striking distance.

In the second half, sophmore Ketty Cornemann scored five of her 15 points with less than a minute remaining to put a nail in the coffin in the Salukis chance for victory.

SDSU posted a 1-1 record in the Thanksgiving Classic, with Southern Illinois winless at 0-2. Host school GW won the Thanksgiving Classic by beating SDSU and Western Kentucky. WKY went 1-1 in the annual holiday located in Washington, D.C.

Rotert and Morgan Meier made the first start of their careers, and both scored 10 points each. Meier, on the night, scored the most points for her career.