Women's Basketball Unable To Overcome Its Shooting Woes Against No. 24 WashU

Photo taken by Missouri Baptist Director of Athletic Communications, Brad Cygan 

ST. LOUIS, Mo.--  The Fontbonne University women's basketball team couldn't get its offense going against No. 24 WashU on Tuesday night, falling 72-47.

Fontbonne (5-5), shot a season-low 27.0 percent from the floor in the outing. Kaitlynn Walker led them off the bench with a team-high 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Katie Sportsman and Jillian Venegas netted six each.

WashU (7-2), meanwhile, out-rebounded Fontbonne 48-30, shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from downtown. Madeline Homoly led all scorers with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Natalie Orr shot 50.0 percent (5-of-10) to conclude with 14 points, while Kristina Schmelter came off the bench with 13 points. Stephanie Botkin and Katie Claussner contributed 10 points apiece.

In the first quarter, the Bears jumped out in front at 10-2 with 5:56 to go and that forced the FBU coaching staff to take a timeout. Three minutes later, Fontbonne got the deficit down to 19-9 after Mallory Proffer scored her jumper.

However, the Bears closed out the quarter on a 6-3 run and after one quarter of play, the Bears led 25-12.

In the second quarter, the Griffins defense held WashU to a 46.7 field goal percentage. The team, though couldn't take advantage as its offense shot just 20.0 percent and that allowed the Bears to head into the break leading, 43-22.

Despite the deficit, the Griffins continued to battle as Proffer nailed her 3-pointer at the 2:06 mark to make it 53-34 in third. In the fourth, WashU continued to drain the necessary shots, allowing them to pull away for the 25-point win.

Fontbonne will look to bounce back on Saturday in conference play against Greenville. Tip-off goes up at 1 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the women's basketball team.