Wendy Haun
The early part of the season has been incredibly rough for the Lady Colonels.
After falling, 55-36, in an exhibition game to a Division II school, they suffered a 75-54 loss at Western Kentucky University on Saturday.
However, there were some bright points to be taken from the loss Saturday in Bowling Green. Eastern Kentucky University won the battle of the boards, outrebounding WKU, 35-33. They also shot 35.7 percent, which was up from their abysmal 24 percent against the Lady Oilers.
“I think we’ve grown a lot as a team,” EKU coach Chrissy Roberts said. “You look at the score, but we had a lot of good things come out of that game (at WKU). They only outscored us by five in the second half. We shot 80 percent from the free-throw line against WKU. We left Bowling Green with our heads held high. We’re moving in the right direction.”
The Lady Colonels (0-1) haven’t experienced a lot of recent success against Wright State, who they will face at 7 p.m. tonight in Dayton, Ohio. The Lady Raiders have won three of the last five contests between the two schools, including a 53-47 win last season in Richmond.
“They’re a solid team from top to bottom. Very athletic,” Roberts said. “They’re going to try to pound the ball on the inside and have very strong post play. They’re a very physical team in the paint and we’re going to have to be ready to mix it up. We have to be ready to be physical.”
Wright State (0-1) won’t have much of a height advantage over the Lady Colonels, as the team’s tallest player is only 6-foot-2. In a season-opening 83-67 loss to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, the Lady Raiders had three players score in double-figures — LaShawna Thomas (22 points), Erica Richardson (17 points) and Molly Fox (12 points). Thomas, a 5-foot-6 guard, nearly had a double-double, also grabbing eight rebounds.
Early in the season, the Lady Colonels, who have added seven new players to the roster, have had offensive struggles, which Roberts said are beginning to improve.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be,” she said. “It’s all about timing and spacing. A lot of us feel like we have to make a play as soon as we catch it instead of being patient and letting the offense work. It’s more patience than anything and knowing that we’ll get the shots that we want with patience.”
