First Half Lead Slips from Wildcats in 81-74 Loss to Yellowjackets

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Baker posted a 43-point first half, but couldn't hold off a surging Graceland side as the Wildcats fell to the Yellowjackets, 81-74 here Wednesday in the Collins Center to finish off BU's three-game homestand.

The Wildcats shot over 50 percent and nailed eight 3-pointers in their big first half, but couldn't carry that over to the second stanza where the Yellowjackets made their comeback in a fourth quarter that saw them outscore BU, 21-10.

Leah Van Weelden finished with a team-best 22 points and had 19 of those come in the first half of action. Jaelyn Two Heats swished four treys on her way to 19 points, adding four rebounds and three assists as well. Alyssa Morris posted her first double-double as a Wildcat, going for 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Two Hearts kickstarted Baker's 24-point opening quarter with a three and knocked down another one a few minutes later to give BU an early 10-8 lead. Van Weelden accounted for the next nine points for the Wildcats with the senior from Marion, Iowa finishing off her spurt with a triple of her own to put BU up by nine.

With Two Hearts draining their fourth and final three of the period, the Wildcats took a 24-19 lead into the second quarter.

Baker executed a nice set play out of the quarter break that resulted in an easy bucket for Van Weelden off a pass from Two Hearts. Matalina Ochoa came through with back-to-back baskets as the Wildcats made it a seven-point lead just two minutes into the quarter.

Morris fired off back-to-back threes to give Baker the first double-digit lead of the game before the Yellowjackets started to get hot from deep as well and went 3-for-3 from three-point range over a two-minute stretch to cut BU's lead to 36-33.

Closing out her stellar 19-point half, Van Weelden connected on consecutive triples to give the Wildcats a six-point lead with 2:30 left til halftime, but the Yellowjackets were able to hold BU scoreless the rest of the quarter and make it a 46-43 halftime score.

The Wildcats opened up the second half of action with an 11-4 run that was highlighted by another three-ball from Morris to put Baker's lead back out to double digits at 57-47. Things would hit a bit of a standstill for BU down the stretch of the third quarter though as they scored just two field goals in the final five minutes of the period, while Graceland began to chip away at its deficit and trail by just four at the end of the frame.

With the momentum starting to swing over to the visitor's sideline, the Yellowjackets rattled off a devastating run that saw them score 13 unanswered points and hold Baker without a bucket until the 3:42 mark of the fourth quarter.

A free throw by Van Weelden it a four-point game with just over a minute left to play and Two Hearts drilled another three to bring the 'Cats within three with :40 seconds left, but Graceland was able to knock down its free throws and hold defensively to finish off its conference comeback at 81-74.

For Van Weelden, it marked the second time in the past four games that she has gone for 22 points and was her 17th outing this conference season in double figures. Meanwhile, Two Hearts has scored at least 14 points in four of her last five games and had her fifth game this year with four or more threes.

Coming off the three-game homestand, the Wildcats will head out for their final regular-season road trip for a matchup with William Penn on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. in Oskaloosa, Iowa

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