ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's basketball team did its best to hang with #16 Muhlenberg Tuesday night, but the Bears couldn't keep it close, falling 89-55.
The two sides came out firing quickly, each hitting on their first two shot attempts. Sophomore Lydia Konstanzer hit a mid-range jumper before freshman Aliyah Stephens banked in a running layup, making it a 5-4 ballgame in favor of the Mules (16-1, 11-1) just a minute and a half into the contest.
The Bears' 3-point defense – usually a strong point – was a bit suspect early, as three of Muhlenberg's first four baskets were from beyond the arc. ursinus was able to clean up the defense on the exterior a bit, but that opened things up for the Mules inside, as they pulled down offensive boards and put them back in on back-to-back possessions to built their lead to 15-7 with five minutes left in the first frame.
The Mules were almost unstoppable in the first 10 minutes, shooting 57.9 percent from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, doubling up the Bears 26-13 at the first break. Ursinus (9-9, 6-7) felt the void left by injured sophomore Toni Suler, as the Mules dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Bears 12-4. Konstanzer scored nine of the Bears' 12 points in the period.
The Mules continued to control things in the second quarter, extending their lead to 51-20 at the half. Junior Kaci McNeave hit a 3-pointer in the frame while freshman Sydney Fail made a jumper off the bench. Fail's classmate Marisa Morano closed out the Bears' scoring for the half with a jumper of her own. The Mules continued their hot shooting throughout the second quarter, closing out the half shooting 51.4 percent. They hit nine of 19 attempts from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Bears 24-8 through the first 20 minutes.
The Bears didn't lose any effort in the second half, scoring 22 in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Mules stayed on track, building the lead to 71-42 entering the fourth frame. Konstanzer scored eight points in the period while Stephens put up six, including a 3-pointer. Senior Rachel Guy added a basket as well.
Although it wasn't a pretty final score, the Bears had to be happy with how they shot, hitting on 46.8 percent from the field. Muhlenberg was just a bit better, converting on 50.8 percent. The game was ultimately decided by rebounds, an area the Mules ran away with, taking a 42-19 advantage in the contest.
Konstanzer wrapped up with 18 points and seven rebounds to go with three steals and an assist while Stephens scored eight points. Morano tallied seven off the bench and added a pair each of assists and rebounds.
The Bears stay on the road as they travel to Haverford Thursday before returning to Helfferich Hall on Saturday for a battle with Johns Hopkins.