Poor Shooting and Turnovers Lead to Losses

The Rhema Lady Eagles were swept in the Martin Luther King Classic in Belleville, Illinois, over the weekend. The two losses drop Rhema’s record to 7-12 on the year.

Game 1—Lindenwood-Belleville 71, Rhema Bible 48

The Rhema Lady Eagles battled the Lindenwood-Belleville Lady Lynx in the first half of a tight contest. The Lady Lynx made a run late in the opening frame to hold a 37-27 advantage at the break. Rhema couldn’t cut into the lead in the closing half and fell 71-48.

LBU shot nearly 50 percent from the floor (32-for-65), including 38 percent (3-for-8) from beyond the arc for the game, while the Lady Eagles shot 36 percent (20-for-56) from the floor and 23 percent (3-for-13) from long distance.

Rhema was led by freshman guard Jamie Davis who finished with 18 points. Sophomore forward Candace Tripke was the only other Lady Eagle to finish in double figures with 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman forward Vanessa Zailo narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Jessica Davis had a solid game with four rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

Game 2—Robert Morris-Springfield 59, Rhema Bible 38

The Lady Eagles poor shooting continued in a 59-38 loss to Robert Morris-Springfield Saturday at the MLK Classic. Rhema was only down by nine at the break, but RMU outscored the Lady Eagles 29-17 in the final half to seal the 21-point victory.

Rhema’s defense played well, holding RMU to 31 percent shooting from the floor (21-for-68) and 25 percent (3-for-12) from three-point range. However, for the second consecutive game, the Lady Eagles struggled shooting from the floor, connecting on only 24 percent of their shots (14-for-59).

Rhema’s freshman guard Jamie Davis led all scorers with 19 points. She has led the Lady Eagles in scoring in 13-of-19 games, including the last six. Sophomore guard Chantel Peterson finished with seven points (on 3-of-4 shooting) and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Candace Tripke finished with seven points. Vanessa Zailo grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and also had six steals.