The Case Western Reserve University women’s basketball team faced two formidable opponents on the road this past weekend, losing to the University of Rochester 88-60 and No. 25-ranked Emory University 74-50, bringing their overall record to 8-8. The team’s six-game winning streak unfortunately halted with a skid, but the team is still 3-2 in UAA conference play. 

Despite the Spartans’ solid defense, Rochester could not miss, shooting 64% from the 3-point line in the first half and 52.5% overall for the game. 3-pointers by first-years McKenna Gross and Isabella Mills kept the Spartans in the game, 8-8, with four minutes left in the first. Then, the Yellowjackets began a 3-point barrage, converting five, to take the lead 26-12 at the end of the first quarter. The Spartans’ defense locked up the Yellowjackets in the beginning of the second, not allowing a field goal for the first four minutes. Rochester then caught on fire again, making multiple 3-pointers, to take a whopping 47-29 lead. The Spartans could not keep up with the Yellowjackets’ fast pace offense, as Rochester racked up 21 assists as a team and outrebounded CWRU 42-27. Gross shined in the loss, scoring a career high 19 points off the bench, going 6-8 from the field. 

Coming into the game, Emory was 13-2 and undefeated in UAA play, and, as with the Rochester game, the Spartans’ shots were not falling. They shot only 32% from the field. Second-year Abbey Lawrence, fourth-year guard Alicia Marie Gonzalez and fourth-year forward Kendall McConico each made 3-pointers to give the Spartans an early 10-9 lead. Unfortunately, the Eagles started the second quarter on a 7-0 run. The Spartans couldn’t catch up, as they shot a meagre 27% from the field for the remainder of the game. Graduate student Melissa Heath finished with 12 points off the bench, Lawrence scored 11, and McConico and Mills each chipped in 10 points.

The Spartans will look to bounce back on the road against Brandeis University on Friday, Jan. 31 and against New York University on Sunday, Feb. 2.