Wildcats Fall to Host Threshers in Final Game of Bethel Classic

NEWTON, Kan. - Baker women's basketball closed out the Bethel Classic on Friday night, falling 90-61 to the host Threshers in Newton, Kan. in the second leg of back-to-back games for BU at the non-conference tournament.

Baker kept the game within reach for much of the first half, trimming the deficit to 12 at the break, but a 29-point explosion from Bethel in the third quarter created the decisive separation that led the Threshers to a comfortable win in their home tournament.

Bethel shot 47.2 percent from the field (34-72) and outscored BU 44-32 in the paint while holding a 34-27 edge on the glass. The Threshers also capitalized on 23 Wildcat turnovers, using them to produce 32 points. Baker went 19-for-49 from the field to finish just under 40 percent, but got to the free-throw line a season-high 29 times, converting 23 of them (79.3 percent) to pretty much match its 80-percent mark from Thursday's game against Kansas Wesleyan.

Gabby Rose led Baker with 22 points on an incredible 14-of-16 shooting at the free-throw line, while Skye Pepp added 18 points and seven rebounds. Pepp had most of her scoring come in a double-digit fourth quarter that saw her tally 10 points in the frame. Taniya Tease finished with nine points on a 5-of-5 night from the stripe and Mariah Dightman added eight points off the bench.

The Threshers jumped out to a fast start, opening on a 14-3 run fueled by early buckets, while forcing Baker into multiple early turnovers. Rose steadied BU midway through the frame with a midrange bucket and back-to-back free throws, but the Threshers carried a 24-12 edge into the second.

The Wildcats settled in during the second quarter, putting together their most composed stretch of the first half. Pepp scored on back-to-back possessions out of the mid-post to spark a 6-0 spurt, cutting the lead to 24-16. Dightman delivered consecutive paint finishes, and Rose closed the half with four late free throws to pull Baker to 39-27 at the intermission.

The third quarter is where Bethel struck decisively, bursting out of the break with a 15-2 run midway through to stretch the lead to 27. The Wildcats briefly responded with a hustle-driven sequence that featured a Rihanna Blanchard steal leading to a Rose finish at the rim, but the Threshers shot 70.6 percent in the period, closing the quarter with a commanding 68-41 lead.

Too little, too late, but Baker found its footing again in the fourth, posting its most efficient offensive quarter. Pepp scored 10 points in the frame, Kaylee Heinen converted a baseline finish off a Pepp assist, and Rose continued to attack the paint and get to the line. The Wildcats shot 56.3 percent over the final 10 minutes, but the third-quarter deficit proved too large to overcome.

Up next, Baker will face its fifth straight team from the KCAC, going on the road to take on McPherson on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in McPherson, Kan.

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