'Roos Unable to Overcome Slow Start at Occidental

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Austin College women's basketball team came out ice cold against Occidental on Tuesday, falling behind 18-4 after the first quarter, and the 'Roos were unable to recover in a 61-49 defeat. The 'Roos are now 3-8 overall on the year.

Austin College was just 2-of-15 from the field and turned the ball over 11 times in the first 10 minutes of action, but were able to start chipping away at the Occidental lead in the second quarter, pulling to within 30-20 heading into halftime. The 'Roos cut the margin to 37-32 on a basket by Avory Miller with 3:09 left in the third quarter, but the Tigers closed the period with a 12-2 run to take a commanding 49-34 lead into the final frame. The margin grew to 58-38 with 6:24 left, and the 'Roos were unable to make a run down the stretch despite a pair of threes from Trinity Williams in the closing minutes to make it a 61-49 final.

Brooklyn Matthews had 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting to lead the 'Roos offensively, and Lauren Traylor added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Lexi Martin finished with seven points and four boards, while the 'Roos finished the game hitting just 31.1% of their shots, including 4-of-16 from beyond the arc. Toni Thompson led all scorers with 21 points for Occidental, while also pulling down 15 rebounds.