Vanessa D’Amico scored 14 points and Jacki Bateman added 11 but the Menlo College women’s basketball team saw its season end Wednesday in an 80-61 loss to Briair Cliff in the opening round of the NAIA National Championships at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Briar Cliff’s aggressive, cutting-style offense gave Menlo trouble early and resulted in senior standout Laurel Donnenwirth picking up a pair of quick fouls and heading to the bench just 3 1/2 minutes into the action.
Despite losing their leading scorer early, the Oaks continued to battle and benefited from a hot shooting effort from range which saw them knock down five first-half 3-pointers, three of which came from D’Amico.
The Chargers went on an 11-1 run in the final 2:30 of the first half to take a 42-32 advantage into halftime.
Donnenwirth managed six points and a game-best seven rebounds. Amber Lane had six points and recorded four assists.
Seven seniors made their final appearance for the Oaks including Donnenwirth, Jolise Limcaco, Jenna Arnett, Lane, Lauriane Cassou, Aubrey Harris and Tori Conley.
The senior class won four consecutive Cal Pac regular season titles and three of the last four Cal Pac postseason tournaments and averaged a remarkable 22 wins per season.
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Menlo Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Menlo Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Menlo Athletics