Millsaps (3-17, 1-10 SCAC) shot a season-high 59 percent from the floor and outscored the Lady Pirates 38-30 in the second half on Friday, but couldn’t overcome 24 percent shooting in the first half and a 19-point halftime deficit to pull out the win.
Senior Leslie Frese and freshman Marianne Smith did the work offensively, chipping in 16 apiece to pace the Majors on an off shooting night for “Mrs. Double-Double,” LaReina Adams. Freshman Megan Bauerle also did a nice job for Millsaps, adding eight points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench.
Natasha Azizi led the way for Southwestern (11-9, 4-6 SCAC), earning a game high 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the floor, while chipping in eight boards and a game high three steals. Kelli Hill was the other Lady Pirate in double figures, adding 11 points (3-for-5 from beyond the arc) in 15 minutes off the bench.
In Saturday’s weekend finale against Trinity, the Majors played a strong first half and only trailed 41-37 at the break until the Lady Tigers defense woke up in the second half en route to a 43-19 margin and an 84-56 road win.
Adams’ 12 first half points and Megan Bauerle’s nine points off the bench paced the Majors in the first half, but Bauerle went down with an injury in the second and Adams was held to only two shots as Millsaps shot a dismal 29 percent from the floor.
Trinity (14-6, 8-3 SCAC) benefited from 34 points off 26 Millsaps turnovers, 40 points in the paint, a 41-28 rebounding margin and four different starters in double figures en route to the 28-point win.
A ‘Major’ improvement for Millsaps, however, was that they did improve on bench points from the previous six games, only being outscored 25-17, with Bauerle (9), Jamie Sclafani (6) and Allison Sturgis (2) contributing off the bench.
Despite a pair of SCAC losses, the Majors are still in the hunt for the eighth and final spot in the SCAC Tournament in Memphis, Tenn., Feb 23-25.
Millsaps must earn a road split with Sewanee and Oglethorpe this weekend and must win its final home game against Rhodes on Saturday, Feb. 17, while Centre College must lose three straight and Sewanee must lose 2 of 3.