By MILES SOUZA
Beloit College basketball had a busy second week of the season. The two programs played a combined five games last week, the men’s team playing two and the women’s team playing three. Despite the packed schedule, it was a rough week for the Bucs, only winning one of those five games.
The men’s team started their week with a matchup against Marian University on Thursday, at home. The Bucs were off to a hot start and took a commanding lead in the first half.
They seemed to have control of the game on both ends of the floor, playing good defense and getting a plethora of open looks on the offensive end. They went into the locker room with momentum, leading Marian 38-31.
Within the first five minutes of the second half, Marian’s coach saw the game going in that same direction and decided to make a change to hopefully combat Beloit’s offensive success. They went on to play a high 2-3 zone on defense for the rest of the second half.
The Buccaneers never seemed to find an answer to the zone, getting held to only 11 points from that point on and only 21 in the second half. They dropped the game 63-59. Despite the offensive troubles, Junior Dae’Quan Davis’26 had a career day, tying his career high in points with 18, but also securing a double-double, with 11 rebounds.
Beloit then headed to Eureka College on Saturday to face off in their second matchup of the week. The Bucs there had an opposite story than they did on Thursday.
They came out slow in the first half and struggled on the offensive end, only scoring 27 and went into the locker room at halftime down, 32-27. But, the Bucs turned on the gas in the second half, putting up a 50-38 margin in the second half.
The Bucs took the game for their second win of the season, 77-70. Fifth year center Azeez Ganiyu’24 led the team in scoring and rebounds with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The women’s team started their week with a home game on Tuesday against Carroll University. Carroll is a very talented team, having a very successful season last year. So, this game was a challenge for the Bucs.
They had a rough first half and were stymied by Carroll. They did, however, have a turnaround half, winning the fourth quarter, 11-10. They dropped the game to Carroll, 75-32.
They then faced off against Aurora University at home on Thursday, following the conclusion of the men’s game. Sophomore forward Hailey Johnson’27 led the team in scoring with 17 points. With her efforts, the Bucs still suffered a loss at the hands of Aurora, 72-58.
The Buccaneers ended the week with a road game at Lakeland University over the weekend. The team struggled to break Lakeland’s press. Johnson led, scoring again with 16 points, but the Bucs fell, 82-55.
The men’s team will play their next game at Milwaukee School of Engineering on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The women’s team will host two home games. The first on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Benedictine University, and the second on Saturday at 1 p.m. against North Park University.
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