Steven Evans, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
Lady Viking’s basketball (8-7, 1-3 in conference) started off the new year with five straight road games, and has amassed a 3-2 record across those games.
In addition to the recent string of road games, the Lady Vikings have only played a home game once in their past nine games, and have gone 5-4.
Junior point guard Chanlir Segarra said she was content with the team’s progress, particularly over the past few games.
“I am happy with the recent wins,” Segarra said. “But I know we have a long way to go in order to meet our goals for this season. [Head coach Stephanie Dunn] has us working hard, and the freshmen have developed into a huge part of this team.”
Against the Agnes Scott College Scotties on Wednesday, Jan. 15, the Lady Vikings forced 24 turnovers en route to a 59-46 victory. Despite being edged out in rebounds (49-50), assists (nine to 10) and field goal percentage (24 percent to 33 percent), the Lady Vikings were able to capitalize on their turnover differential and held the lead throughout the entire game.
“Lately we have been cracking down on defense,” freshman center Emma Cook said. “I think that has to do a lot with being 4-2 with the last six games we have played. Once we can all get on the same page for defense, we will be hard to beat.”
Senior forward Megan Walsh scored a team-high 14 points for the Lady Vikings, while Segarra added 13 with six assists.
Junior Guard Mel McLean tallied 10 more points to help keep the Lady Vikings ahead.
The Lady Vikings scored 19 points off of Scottie turnovers.
Despite finishing the game with a 13-point win, the Scotties held the Vikings to a season-low in scoring, at 59.
The Lady Vikings defeated the Scotties on Nov. 16 (76-36), and is now 2-0 against them for the season.
The Lady Vikings’ second-most recent game was a 62-67 loss to the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels on Saturday.
Segarra and Cook each scored 20 points for the Lady Vikings.
Segarra ended the game with a double-double, and Cook added a game-high 13 rebounds.
Despite the individual efforts of Segarra and Cook, the Lady Vikings struggled to shoot the ball as effectively as the Stormy Petrels, only converting 29 percent of their field goals while Oglethorpe made 40 percent.
“I had a lot of confidence against Oglethorpe,“ Cook said. “They were not fronting in the post which gave me a lot of time to post up and have a clear passing lane for my guards. We lost because we were not doing what was working for us the whole game ,and we let them get some easy shots up without getting in their face.”
The Lady Vikings are now 0-2 against the Stormy Petrels this season, having lost to them 76-82 on Dec. 5.
The Vikings’ most recent game and final road game for their five-game road stretch was a 96-54 win over the Toccoa Falls College Lady Eagles on Tuesday.
McLean scored a game-high 21 points, made four three-point shots and finished with a team-best nine rebounds in the win. Segarra added 19 points and 11 assists, and freshman point guard Valerie McLure tallied 13 points, the most in her collegiate career.
“Our overwhelming defense and our ability to get in the lanes softened up the perimeter for us to get wide-open opportunities,” Segarra said. “Thanks to the post players’ presence and strength in the lane as well as their ability to finish, we were able to pull away as a team early and stayed ahead.”
The Lady Vikings overcame their previous shooting percentage woes and finished the game converting 51 percent of their field goal attempts.
“We shot the ball well [against the Lady Eagles],” Dunn said. “We made it tough to defend our shots.”
The Lady Vikings will return to action tomorrow against Sewanee: the University of the South Lady Tigers at 6 p.m. at home. The Lady Vikings will play their next four games at the Cage Athletic Center.