Blackburn women's basketball lost their season opener to the visiting Iowa Wesleyan Tigers on Saturday, February 27th, 2021. The final score was 85-78. The Beavers fought to the very end, and even took the lead in the fourth quarter. However, a handfull of fouls led to several key free throws for the Tigers, ultimately securing the win for them.
Freshman Mariah Hopson was a key weapon for the Beavers in the game. She led the team in points, racking up a total of 23. She also had five rebounds, an assist, as well as two steals. Junior Callista Francis followed behind Hopson with twelve points, and an impressive 15 rebounds. Francis also had a steal of her own.
Iowa Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. Morgan McCrea drained a couple of three-pointers that gave the Tigers a comfortable lead heading into the second quarter. However, strong defense by the Beavers led to several turnovers for Iowa Wesleyan. Senior Jenna Dudra had three steals in the game, each of which led to points for the Beavers. At halftime, the score was 38-35, Iowa Wesleyan leading.
The Beavers continued to maintain a small deficit throughout the third quarter, until free throws gave the Beavers their first lead in the fourth quarter at the 6:00 minute mark. Quickly after losing the lead, the Tigers regained control as Anija Simmons drained several baskets to put the Tigers back on top. Simmons finished the game going 9-13 on field goals, and a perfect 6-6 on free throws.
With only 25 seconds to go, the Beavers were down 81-75. A quick inbound to junior Taliyah Davis resulted in Hanna Box becoming open behind the arc. Davis passed the ball across the court to Box, who banked in a key three-pointer with only 18 seconds left on the clock. However, the Beavers were forced to foul, which gave the Tigers the extra points to extend their lead and secure the win. Although the Beavers out-rebounded the Tigers 50-28, key three-point shots by McCrea ensured the Tigers the victory. She finished with 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds. She was 6-16 on field goals, and 3-9 from behind the arc.
The Beavers' next matchup will be an away contest against Eureka College. The game will take place on Wednesday, March 3rd, and is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.