Stars fade in last part of Classic

The Stephens College women’s basketball team hosted the Stephens College Classic on Friday and Saturday at Silverthorne Arena in Columbia. The Stars started off the Stephens Classic by outscoring Johnson & Wales (Colo.) 54-16 in the first half of Friday night’s game, on the way to an 89-39 victory.

The Stars ended the Classic by being outscored 30-20 in the second half of Saturday’s game against St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.), losing 54-51.

The Stars (5-9) led from the outset until the Pomeroys took their first lead, 46-45, with 6:10 remaining in the game. From that point, the Stars couldn’t regain the lead, and the Pomeroys went on a 6-0 run to seal the victory.

Despite the loss, Stars coach Dane Pavlovich was pleased with the team’s aggressiveness, which was sporadic throughout the game. “I thought we played very well in stretches. In stretches where we didn’t play well, it really, really hurt us.”

He added, “We missed some layups and missed some cheap inside shots that ended up costing us coming down the stretch.”

Stars sophomore guard Ali Roper and freshman forward Tia LaFavor were the only players to commit steals. Midway through the second half, Roper had four consecutive steals, but they all didn’t lead to baskets.

“We didn’t convert on every one of those. When we get steals, we got to convert,” Pavlovich said.

The Stars’ bench played a pivotal role, especially sophomore forward Jo Marquez, who led the Stars with 17 points, including 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.

“She’s a tremendous player,and she’s so versatile,” Pavlovich said.

Marquez said that not taking care of the ball contributed to the loss. “We all gave it our all and there were little mistakes throughout the game that made us lose by three.”

Stephens’ next game is Monday against Principia College in Elsah, Ill.