(Lancaster, CA) The Park University Gilbert women’s basketball team just put the rest of the California Pacific conference on notice. They may have struggled early in the season due to injuries, but despite being shorthanded, they are ready to be the team everyone thought they could be at the start of the season. They proved this point by not only beating the top team in the conference Antelope Valley, they beat them soundly by 20 points 101-81 in Lancaster, Calif.
The Park University Gilbert women’s basketball team just put the rest of the California Pacific conference on notice. They may have struggled early in the season due to injuries, but despite being shorthanded, they are ready to be the team everyone thought they could be at the start of the season. They proved this point by not only beating the top team in the conference Antelope Valley, they beat them soundly by 20 points 101-81 in Lancaster, Calif.
The Buccaneers are now 7-10 overall and move to 5-6 in the Cal Pac. This win puts them squarely back in the hunt for the conference tournament as they are one of four teams with five or six losses competing for the final two spots in the tournament. Antelope Valley falls to 13-7 overall and 10-2 in conference.
The 101 points by the Buccaneers are most allowed by the Pioneers all season, including their game against Division I San Diego State who scored 95. Antelope Valley had not allowed a NAIA opponent to score 100 or more points since January 10, 2019, when Embry Riddle scored 101 points, but that was in overtime. The last time an NAIA team scored 100 points on the Pioneers in regulation was November of 2016, when San Diego Christian scored 103 points.
This was a complete team effort from start to finish. UAV had a four point lead five minutes into the game and you had to think this was going to a slobberknocker down to the finish. But a three-point play by Macy Markus gave the Buccaneers the lead with 4:25 to go in the first quarter and the Bucs would never trail again. Park Gilbert would finish the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a seven-point lead (26-19) at the first break and would never look back.
The second quarter saw the Bucs increase their advantage to 11 behind 26 more points in the second quarter. Park shot 62 percent from the field and held UAV to 35 percent. The Buccaneers led by as many as 17 in the quarter before a late run by UAV cut the lead to 11.
With a team as dynamic as Antelope Valley, Buccaneer fans had to be concerned the Pioneers would come out firing in the second half. Park Gilbert guard Kayla Schroeder set the tone right away by nailing her first three-point attempt of quarter to bump the lead back up to 14. After a made free throw by UAV cut the lead to 13, this would be the closest the Pioneers would get for the rest of the game as the Buccaneers befuddled the Pioneer defense with both ball and player movement along with pinpoint shooting. The Bucs outscored the Pioneers 27-18 in the third and held a 20-point lead after three.
If the UAV fans were hoping for a comeback, those hopes were dashed early as the Bucs used a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter to increase the lead to 29 and they were able to cruise home for the win. The Bucs had four players in foul trouble which forced them to move to a zone defense and not be as aggressive on the Pioneers. With a little more freedom, Antelope Valley was able to cut the lead back to 20 by the end of the game.
For the second game in a row, Schroeder set a new career high for points as she posted her first career double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Schroeder had just set her career high for points last night against La Sierra. Jayla Reliford came off the bench for the first time this season and responded with a career high 18 points and tied her school record for assists with 11 which she also set last night versus LSU. With the 11 assists tonight, Reliford now leads the entire country averaging 7.0 assists per game.
Madison Chappell had another fantastic game with 18 points and 15 rebounds for her fifth double-double this season. With everyone having record setting performances, Macy Markus just quietly went about her business and scored 21 points as she put together back-to-back 20 points scoring games for the first time this season. Then along with Kianna Turenne, the two of them held UAV’s top scorer Chinna Fair to 12 points, with eight of those points coming in the fourth quarter when the game was out hand.
The Park Gilbert redemption tour looks to continue next week as UC Merced and Simpson come to town to take on the Buccaneers at Bell Bank Park. The Bucs held leads against both teams on the road to start the fourth quarter and lost both contest with poor shooting over the final frame. Reliford did not play in either game due to injury. UC Merced is up first on Thursday, January 26 and then Simpson on Sunday, January 29. Both games start at 5:30 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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