ATHERTON, Calif. – Faced with a 16-point halftime deficit, the Vanguard women's basketball team rallied furiously over the final 20 minutes but lost a 60-59 heartbreaker to Menlo College on Thursday evening.
The Lions (8-8, 4-7 GSAC) trailed 41-25 at the break, but outscored the Oaks 34-15 in the second stanza and had the game-winning attempt. However, Estefania Giner (JR/Chihuahua, Mexico)'s layup attempt was blocked at the buzzer as VU sustained the tough one-point defeat.
Playing the full 40 minutes for the Lions, Airiana Madanski (SO/Gilbert, AZ) tied her season high with 23 points. She hit four of the team's five three-pointers. Melissa Akullu (SO/Kampala, Uganda) added 12 points and six rebounds, but fouled out with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Vanguard held a key statistical edge in free throw attempts (26-11), but struggled at the line hitting 16-of-26 (61.5%). The Lions shot 36.5 percent (19-of-52) for the game, while the Oaks checked in at 41.7 percent (25-of-60). Menlo made only 3-of-15 from three-point territory.
Kiara Brown led the Oaks (11-9, 6-6) with 14 points and Shay Boley chipped in 10 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
What Happened?: The Lions began their comeback midway through the third quarter. Down 47-32 with 5:33 on the clock, Vanguard outscored the Oaks 13-5 the remainder of the quarter to cut the deficit to seven. Madanski scored five points during the run and Lauren Baumgartner (JR/Meridian, ID)'s layup with six seconds left whittled the deficit to 52-45 heading into the fourth.
Madanski began the final period with a triple to carve Menlo's lead down to 52-48. Akullu and Vivian Woo traded baskets as the game remained a four-point margin.
Akullu converted a pair of layups to knot the game at 55-55, and then Gabriela Rosas (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) notched 1-of-2 free throws to give the Lions their first lead since 7-5 with 6:34 left in the first quarter.
However, the Oaks held VU without a field goal over the final 5:15 of the game. VU scored the remainder of its points from the foul line.
Meanwhile, Boley's jumper with 3:22 remaining put Menlo back on top, 58-56. Rosas made 1-of-2 again from the charity stripe to cut the deficit in half at 58-57, followed by a Vivian Woo layup with 1:18 remaining.
Trailing 60-57, Giner drew a foul on an offensive rebound and sank both freebies to move the Lions to within one.
After a Baumgartner steal, she got a good look from the right corner but could not convert. However, she grabbed the offensive board and the Lions called timeout with 1.8 seconds to play.
Out of the timeout, VU got the ball inside to Giner, who had a lane to the basket but got her shot blocked by Jordyn Rosette as time expired.
The Lions got off to a roaring start, building a 7-0 lead just two minutes and 40 seconds into the game. But the Oaks responded with an 11-0 burst to take an 11-7 lead.
Alexa Silva (FR/Lemoore, CA) hit a three to stop the Menlo run, and Giner's jumper cut the deficit to 14-12 at the 1:39 mark.
But the Oaks scored the final six points of the quarter to lead 20-12 after one.
In the second period, the Lions shot just 25.0 percent while the Oaks countered at 60.0 percent. The shooting discrepancy enabled the Oaks to extend their lead to 16 points as Boley's layup made it 41-25 at the break.
Why Is It Important?: It is just the second time in the all-time series that the Lions have been swept by the Oaks. Vanguard still leads the overall series by a 9-6 margin.
What Was Said?: "We had a good comeback after a bad first half," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "Airiana really stepped up tonight and tried to keep it close. We have to bounce back for Saturday's game, and we need to put together 40 minutes."
What's Next?: The Lions conclude their northern California roadtrip on Saturday, January 29 at William Jessup. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
