The Tabor College women picked up a win on the road Saturday?a 58-55 overtime thriller?over Saint Mary at Leavenworth.
The win improved the Blue?jay record to 6-4 in the KCAC and 9-11 for the year while Saint Mary fell to 1-9 and 7-13.
?Anytime you can make a three-hour road trip and come home with the win, you?re usually pretty satisfied,? coach Shawn Winter said.
The Bluejays started slow, but picked up the pace in the second half.
?We played about as badly as we could the first 15 minutes,? Winter said. ?About halfway through the second half, we made a little run and hit a couple shots. We just made the plays on both ends of the court to win the game.?
The Bluejays lagged behind the Spires, 23-15, at halftime. But they came back with greater intensity and led the Spires, 35-27, in the second half.
Winter said once the Bluejays took the lead midway through the half, they kept it.
?Whitney Polosky probably had her best game of the year,? he said. ?I think she actually scored every point in overtime for us.?
Polosky had 21 points for the night and Gina Hullet added 10. Samantha Ciani was the only Spires player in the double digits, with 14 points.
?We were just glad to go on the road and get the win,? Winter said. ?I think they?re gaining momentum and hitting their stride.?
Bethany?Tabor?s 51-34 win over Bethany College Thursday put the Bluejays in a tie for fourth in the KCAC.
?I thought it was a good night coming off a really good win on Saturday,? coach Shawn Winter said. ?It?s just part of that maturing process. I feel we?re making progress in that area and we just came ready to play.?
Bethany?s Heather Eddings scored first with 18:16 left in the half. After Gina Hullet tied the game with a basket, Katlyn Mary hit a three-point shot to give the Bluejays the lead. Two more three-point baskets from Amy Jo Maphet boosted the lead to 12-7 with 14:14 left in the half.
The Bluejays continued to pull away from the Swedes. Two baskets by Mary put the Bluejays ahead, 18-9, with 8:44 left in the half. By the time both teams headed into the locker room, the Bluejays led, 24-17.
Mary continued her strong showing in the first part of the second half, racking up 11 points in the first four minutes, including three three-point shots. Tabor led, 34-21, with just over 15:44 remaining.
With a little over seven minutes left, both teams went to the line. The Swedes made seven points off free throws and the Bluejays made one. But Tabor still led by 13 with 4:29 left in the game.
Vivian Olvera scored the last two points of the game with a little over a minute left in the game to secure the 17-point win.
?They know as long as they do their job on the defensive end, they can stay in games,? Winter said, referring to somewhat shaky shooting in the first half.
He credited Mary, who finished with 18 points, with a standout performance.
?She was disappointed in her performance in the first half, and in the second came out and showed what she was capable of doing?hitting points behind the three-point line,? he said.
?I think that really loosened us up and got our intensity back. She just played a really, really good basketball game.?
Winter said his team finally won the rebounding battle, which they have struggled to do in the past. The women will be working on the zone offense that slowed them down at first against Bethany.
?We continue to get better,? Winter said.
Coming?Tabor is scheduled to play Sterling on the road Thursday, followed by Kansas Wesleyan at home Saturday.
