Miles Souza, Staff Writer
Beloit College basketball matched up in two Midwest Conference games this week. Both games were very important games for the trajectory of the Bucs’ season. The men’s team, going into the matchups, had a spot in the conference tournament, while the women’s team was on the outside looking in.
Bucs basketball left for Ripon College on Wednesday to face the Red Hawks for their last game of January. The men’s team went into the game as the third seed in the Midwest Conference.
The men’s team started out the game slow, only scoring 20 points in the first half. They went into the locker room down 20-26 at halftime. However, the Bucs came out fiery. They outscored the Red Hawks 40-30 in the second half, taking the game by a score of 60-56.
The Bucs were led to the win by senior center Azzez Ganiyu ’24, who had a monstrous game. Ganiyu scored 24 points to go along with seven rebounds.
The women’s team had a tougher time against the Red Hawks who at the time, were an undefeated 10-0 in conference. They lost the game 41-88.
Beloit College then held a home, double header against the Cornell College Rams this past Saturday. A very winnable game for the men’s team and a very competitive game for the women’s team.
The men’s team came out slow and had no answer. The Bucs headed into the locker room at halftime down 21-31. The Rams ran a 2-3 zone defense that the Bucs struggled to find openings in. Open shots were hard to come by even with the effort the Bucs were putting in on the defensive end.
The Bucs found something near the end of the second half, but it was too little too late. The Bucs matched the Rams with 40 points each and dropped the game 61-71. With a field goal percentage of 36% and a three point percentage of 27%, the Bucs had difficulty on the offensive end.
However, the team is still in prime position to make the conference tournament. They are currently the third seed in the conference. With two wins the Bucs will be guaranteed a spot.
On the women’s side, this game was a must win to be on the outside looking in. The Bucs stayed in the first half, losing by only two heading into the locker room.
The halftime speech was one of the best of the year for the Bucs. They came out and outscored the Rams by eight in the third quarter and two in the fourth. Beloit took the game by a score of 65-57 to take the must-needed win.
The game was highlighted by two outstanding scoring performances. Senior guard Elizabeth Kalk ’24 scored 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Sophomore center Hailey Johnson ’26 also scored 19 points off the bench. They are currently tied for sixth in the conference, but are one game out of the four seeds.
The men’s team will take on Maranatha Baptist on Tuesday in Watertown, WI, while the women’s team will also have a non conference game at home against Mount Mary on Wednesday.
Featured Image Credit: Beloit College Athletics
Leave a Reply