
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – La Roche women's basketball squared off against #19 Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday night and took the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets down to the wire, but ultimately fell 70-62 in a hard fought battle.
Baldwin Wallace opened the first quarter leading 7-2 across the first 4:47 and then 10-3 with 2:03 remaining.
Over the final stretch of play, the Redhawks would outscore the visitors 7-2 and trailed just 12-10 through 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the red and black score the first four points to take their first lead at 14-12, but an 8-1 Yellow Jacket run ensued to open a 20-15 edge with 5:20 on the clock.
The deficit for La Roche grew over the final 4:40, as Baldwin Wallace opened a double-digit margin and took a 30-19 lead into the half.
Out of the locker room, a 5-0 run by the visitors opened a 16-point lead at 35-19 and the Redhawks battled to cut that deficit down to single digits at 48-40 by the end of the third stanza.
In the fourth, La Roche fought back to within four on a quick run to open the quarter, but a 6-0 response by the Yellow Jackets turned it back to 54-44 with 7:14 remaining.
With 5:33 to go, the red and black again saw themselves down just 56-50, but four free points were handed to the opposition with 4:52 remaining to move the deficit back to 60-50.
Despite battling until the end, the Redhawks couldn't come any closer six down the final stretch as the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets sealed the win
For the game, La Roche shot 37.7% (20-for-53) from the floor and 0-for-3 from deep. From the charity stripe, they went 22-for-30 (73.3%).
On the other side, Baldwin Wallace went on to shoot 46.9% (23-for-49) from the field, 5-for-18 (27.8%) from deep and 19-for-26 (73.1%) from the foul line.
Three Redhawks went on to score in double figures, with J'La Kizart leading the way.
In 21 minutes off the bench, Kizart scored 16 points on 4-for-4 shooting and 8-for-10 from the foul line, alongside five rebounds and five steals.
Jazmine Dunn followed with 15 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals, while Dasja Anderson netted 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals as well.
La Roche returns to action on Monday, Dec. 2 when they host Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse at 7 p.m.