Women's Basketball Home Opener Gets Spoiled By Central

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University women's basketball team had its home opener on Tuesday against the Central Dutch and despite a late rally from the Griffins it was the Dutch hanging on for the win.

Records: Central 1-3, Fontbonne 1-3

Game Breakdown

In the first quarter, the Griffins opened with a 4-0 lead on Rylee Pickett's layup at 6:50. Over the next five minutes, the Dutch went on a 10-4 run but prior to the quarter ending the Griffins tied the game on Pickett's layup.

Back-to-back buckets from Haley Buscher with 3:04 left remaining in the second quarter evened up the scoreboard, 17-17. The Dutch regained the 3-point advantage one minute later, but the Griffins kept battling as Kourtney White connected on her 3-pointer giving Fontbonne the lead back at 25-24 with just under 20.0 seconds left.

However, the Dutch raced down the court and got a 3-pointer from Payton Kizer prior to the horn sounding giving them the 27-25 lead at the break.

In the third, the Dutch expanded its lead out to 39-30 with 3:03 remaining on Allison Van Gorp's free throws. Central held its lead the rest of the way and went into the fourth on top, 47-36.

In the fourth, the Griffins got Central's lead down to five (56-51) with 2:11 remaining after Kya Harbour went 1-of-2 from the line. The Dutch, though got the necessary buckets when needed as they hung on for the six-point win.

Team Stats

• Fontbonne finished with a 34.4 field goal percentage.
• The team pulled down 31 rebounds.
• Fontbonne dished out a season-high 14 assists.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Kourtney White led with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
• Rylee Pickett finished with a season-high 12 points.
• Rylee Stafford ended with eight points, six rebounds, and five assists.
• Haley Buscher finished with seven points off the bench.

Up Next

The Griffins continue its home stretch on Friday when they'll take on Hendrix inside the DSAC. Tip-off at 6 p.m.

About Fontbonne University

Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.

Make sure to follow the women's basketball team on all its social media accounts: Twitter (@fontbonnewbb), Instagram (@fontbonnewbb) and Facebook (/FontbonneUGriffins).