Lady Roadrunners drop a 64-55 decision to North Arkansas

Nov. 20 North Arkansas College at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Lady Roadrunners dropped a 64-55 decision to the North Arkansas College Lady Pioneers, the eighth-ranked team in NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball, on Tuesday Nov. 20 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

The Lady Pioneers jumped out to an 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, which grew to 31-14 at halftime. SFCC struggled with a 2-3 zone defense employed by the Lady Pioneers most of the game.

SFCC got its offense going in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to six points with less than two minutes remaining at 57-51, but came up short in the 64-55 loss.

"In the second half, we did a much better job of attacking the gaps in the zone," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "Once we did that, we were able to knock down some wide open three-point shots and create some one-on-one opportunities."

Sophomore guard Jazzmyn Elston of Rossville, Georgia and sophomore forward Brionna Hill of Dover, Delaware tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 points each. Freshman guard Nokoia White of Ennis, Texas added 12 points. Hill and freshman forward Sahara Bamba of New York, New York tied for the team lead in rebounds with six each. Elston also registered a team-high four assists and four steals.

Nov. 23 Highland Community College-Illinois at Moberly, Missouri

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Lady Roadrunners used a big second quarter push on offense and a solid defensive effort to pick up a 99-61 victory over Highland Community College-Illinois on Friday, Nov.23. The game was part of the Moberly Classic and stopped a three-game losing streak.

"The girls played really well," said Bucher. "Our press was working the way we hoped that it would. It was great to finally get that win."

SFCC broke the game open in the second quarter with a 35-7 run and cruised to the victory. The Lady Roadrunners forced 21 turnovers in the contest.

SFCC was led in scoring by Hill with 18 points, who also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and four steals. White contributed 15 points, while Elston pitched in with 14 and freshman guard Jasmine Williams of Miami, Florida registered 10 points. Farah Mesidor of Kissimmee, Florida dished out a team-high six assists.

Nov. 24 Dodge City Community College at Moberly, Missouri

SFCC (4-6) lost a hard-fought 86-78 game to the Dodge City Community College Lady Conquistadors (Conqs) on Saturday, Nov. 24 to close out the Moberly Classic. The game featured six lead changes and nine ties.

"We had our chances to win the game down the stretch," said Bucher. "We had a 10 point lead, but got conservative and made a lot of mistakes with about four minutes left. Dodge City made a shot with about two seconds remaining on the clock to force overtime."

Dodge City led 35-34 at halftime. The Conqs turned up their defensive pressure in the final four minutes to force overtime with the score tied at 66 after making a basket in the final seconds.

The Conqs outscored the Lady Roadrunners 20-12 to seal the victory.

"It just wasn't meant to be," said Bucher. "We looked like we got tired playing with back-to-back days. We played well all the way up to that fourth quarter."

Elston scored 29 points to lead SFCC. Hill registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also led the team in steals with three. White pitched in with 10 points. Hill, White, and sophomore guard Sckiya Banister all tied for the team lead in assists with three each.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics