Comeback Falls Short for the Danes

How's this for an equation?

Nine girls basketball players + one manager + two coaches + four-hour roadtrip = tons of fun. The Danes spent a good number of hours on the road last night, traveling to and from Byers, Colorado. The coaches said that this was probably one of the most entertaining sporting events they've ever been a part of.

On to notes from the game...

A win wasn't in the equation as the Danes lost by six points. In the big picture, the Danes played exceptionally well, aside from about four minutes in the second quarter. In that time, Byers scored more than 10 points and really stretched their lead. That was the difference in the game. FVS implemented a rarely-seen part of their game against Byers—the full-court zone press—and the Danes looked good running it. They forced at least four turnovers and converted on two of the pressing possessions.

In the first quarter, Bailey Knecht led scoring with four points. The Danes did a nice job of passing the ball around the perimeter and displaying some patience on offense. Post players Kim Donaldson and Delia Brekken were introduced to Byers' packed-in 2-3 zone defense, and while they outsized the Byers players, that didn't prevent them from getting pushed around and fouled in the paint. Brekken, in fact, ended up shooting 14 free throws in the game. The Danes led the Bulldogs 10-9 after eight minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Danes kept collecting fouls from Byers until they were in double bonus. The pace of the game was choppy, and the Danes couldn't seem to find a rhythm. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs kept pouring in the baskets. The Danes got beat back on defense on three consecutive possessions, with Byers scoring each time. In the flurry of baskets late in the second quarter, the Danes found themselves down 17-31 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Danes jumped into and out of their full-court press, which rattled the Bulldogs. They were able to convert, but the Bulldogs were hot from the floor and would not let the Danes close the gap by much. Brekken put six points up on the board while Donaldson and Heather Whitham added four each. Whitham's project for the third and fourth quarters was to shut down Byers' leading scorer, and she did a great job.

The fourth quarter clearly belonged to the Danes. The team scored 21 points—a season high. Clare Hamilton knocked down a three-pointer while Donaldson scored eight and Brekken scored nine, including 3-4 from the line. The Danes just ran out of time and a 52-58 loss was in the books.

Brekken scored 21 points and recorded 16 rebounds and two blocks. Donaldson had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. Hamilton had four points, three rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals. Knecht had four points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. Whitham had four points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Ellie Taylor had three points, a season-high seven rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals. The Danes were aided by Rina Onishi, Ji Won Park, and Vicky Wang coming off the bench. The team committed just eight turnovers in the game, a season low.