ST. GEORGE, Utah - The Adams State Women's Basketball team suffered its third straight loss Saturday night with a 69-54 road loss at Dixie State. The loss brings the Grizzlies record to 2-17 overall and 2-13 in the RMAC.
The Grizzlies got out to a fast start in scoring a combined 38 points in the first half while holding the Trailblazers (11-8, 7-8 RMAC) to 22, including just six points in the second quarter.Â
The second half belonged to Dixie State though as they scored 20-plus points in the final two quarters each for 47 second half points while holding the Grizzlies to 26. Dixie State held Adams State to just 23.1% shooting in the second and shot 60.9% to secure the 15-point win at home.
The Grizzlies 6-2 early in the opening quarter but then went on an 11-0 run to grab a 13-6 advantage.
Brooke Neal got the run started with a jumper with 7:00 on the clock.
Zakiya Beckles closed out the run with back-to-back three points to give the Grizzlies a seven-point lead.
The Trailblazers managed to tie the game at 14-all late in the quarter and retook the lead with :33 left to play in the first. The lead did not last long as
Marshell Hollins nailed a triple with 11 seconds to play, giving the Grizzlies a 17-16 edge going into the second.
Hollins shot to end the first quarter ultimately sparked a 13-0 run for Adams State that spanned through the first five minutes of the second quarter.
Danielle Jimenez closed out the run with a three-pointer at the 4:55 mark of the second to give Adams State its largest lead of 11 points, 27-16.
The Grizzlies defense early on in the second was superb as they held the Trailblazers scoreless for nearly six minutes. The home managed to score six points in the final four minutes and held the Grizzlies to just one to make it a 28-22 game at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Trailblazers quickly found their offensive groove and scored 26 points in the third quarter, while the Grizzlies put 12 points. 10 points in the first 2:30 of the quarter help the Trailblazers retake the lead 32-30 over the Grizzlies.
Neal tied the game at 33-all on a pair of made free throws with 5:33 to play in the third but Dixie State quickly retook the lead. Adams State never tied it again in the third quarter but kept the deficit within single digits going into the fourth.
The Trailblazers led 48-40 going into the final quarter and made it a 10-point lead in the first three seconds on a made layup. The closest the Grizzlies got was four points when Beckles hit a three-pointer with 8:27 left to play to cut the Trailblazers lead to 50-46.
Dixie State did not push its lead to double figures until late in the fourth as Adams State kept hitting shots to stay within reach. Despite the Grizzlies efforts to mount a comeback, the Trailblazers had answers to stay up by two or more possessions and hold on for the home win.
Beckles had another solid game off the bench for the Grizzlies scoring a game-high 22 points. she was 5-11 from the floor, 4-9 from deep, and 8-12 at the free throw line. She also led the team in rebounds with seven and was the only player in double figures. Neal chipped in nine points.
Kelsee Stevenson led the way for Dixie State on offense with 18 points on 6-14 shooting. She was also 4-10 from three-point range and had two steals and two assists. Morgan Myers added 14 points 5-8 made shots and grabbed five boards.Â
The Grizzlies will return home for the next four games. They get the homestand started on Friday, Feb. 8 against Regis. Tip-off against the Rangers will be at 5:30 p.m. inside Plachy Hall Gym.
