Third Time Not a Charm as Lady Eagles Fall to Lakeland
Nick Veach
Issue date: 3/2/10 Section: Sports
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For these two teams, it was the third meeting this season, with Lakeland having won the previous two - one of which came ten days ago, snapping the Lady Eagles' eight-game home win streak.
Prior to Saturday night's bout with Lakeland, Benedictine had done everything they could to prove they were capable of winning the conference tournament, especially winning twice over a three-day span to earn a spot in the championship game.
The first of Benedictine's two victories came last Wednesday when the Lady Eagles defeated Edgewood College 52-49 in a thrilling game that featured six ties and nine lead changes.
In last Friday night's semifinal showdown, the Lady Eagles knocked off top-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin - a team that had ended their season each of the past three years.
However, things turned for the worse Saturday night as Benedictine was unable to successfully climb the third and final step of the three-step ladder.
After shooting just 34 percent from the floor in the first half, the Lady Eagles found themselves with their backs against the wall, trailing 35-26 at the break.
Benedictine's shooting improved in the second half, but the help came too late as Lakeland outscored the Lady Eagles 36-34 to claim the victory.
"I would definitely give them [Lakeland] a lot of credit first. Their defense caused us a lot of problems," said head coach Paul Nelson, who just concluded his sixth season at the helm of the Lady Eagles.
"It was a combination, but you definitely have to give credit to Lakeland. They did a great job."
While a majority of Benedictine's season was marked by few turnovers and timely three-point shooting, this was not the case Saturday night.
The Lady Eagles shot just 20 percent on 2-of-10 shooting from three-point land. Not only was Benedictine struggling to connect from downtown, but Paul Nelson's squad was also plagued by 16 crucial turnovers.
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