Strong start for Women’s Basketball, then a tough loss

November 30, 2017
The Wheaton Women’s Basketball team has started off their season hot, going 3-0 for their first three games. In their season opener against Lake Forest on Nov. 17, the Thunder rolled to a 74-57 win. The next day, Wheaton toppled Louisiana College 89-56. In their third game before Thanksgiving break, the Thunder faced off against Loras College, winning 78-52.
The Thunder ladies started off their season with the Beth Baker Classic, taking on Lake Forest in the first round. Wheaton was shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 22 percent beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Senior Kelly Lawson led the Thunder in scoring with 17 points and two three-pointers. Senior Maggie Dansdill gave 16 points off seven successful shot attempts in addition to contributing six rebounds. Junior Devin Kyler put up 10 points and led the Thunder with nine rebounds.
In the championship round of the Beth Baker Classic, the Thunder put down Louisiana College to give their season a 2-0 start. The Thunder shot at 48.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent behind the arc and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore Hannah Frazier led Wheaton with 20 points, three free throws and seven rebounds. Dansdill followed up with 16 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Jill Berg had 13 points and three blocks while Kyler had 10 points and three blocks. Save for 11 seconds in the first half, the Thunder held the lead over Louisiana the entire game. Frazier earned All-Tournament honors while Dansdill was named the Tournament MVP.

Sophmore Devin Kyler goes in for a layup during their 74-57 victory over Lake Forest College on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2017 in King Arena.
Photo by Immanuel Kyun

On Nov. 21, Wheaton improved to a 3-0 record with a win against Loras College. Frazier led both teams with 18 points, adding on five assists and four rebounds. The Thunder jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, finishing up the first quarter with an 18-10 advantage. After the half, the Thunder led the Duhawks by double digits. They shot 48.5 percent from the field, 26.1 percent behind the arc and 80 percent at the free throw line. Dansdill contributed 12 points and four rebounds. Kyler added 11 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Berg and Lawson both contributed nine points with Berg having five blocks.
The Thunder’s four game win streak to start off their season ended when the University of Chicago Maroons bested the Wheaton basketball team yesterday night 82-77.
Wheaton was leading at the end of the half 40-30, but UChicago climbed within two points of Wheaton after the Maroons scored a three-pointer to make the score 60-58 as the clock ran out on the third quarter.
The Maroons continued to surge ahead through the rest of the game, but Dansdill drew a foul with 30.7 seconds left and split a pair of free throws. The Thunder could not make a defensive stop or force a turnover to get the win, and the final score was sealed at 82-77.