CONWAY, Ark. - Trailing by 12 points at halftime, senior
Kati Broberg led the Hendrix College basketball team to within two points in the final minute of play, but the Warriors couldn't muster the tying bucket and fell to Austin College 64-62 on Friday afternoon.
Broberg finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including a 4-for-8 performance from beyond the arc.
Sara Dyslin and
Anna King each registered double-doubles for the home team with Dyslin scoring 16 and grabbing 12 rebounds and King going for 10 points and 12 boards.
Hendrix struggled in the first half, falling behind in the early stages of the game. The squad committed 11 turnovers in the first half, which the Roos turned into 10 points, giving the visitors a 41-29 halftime lead. Dyslin and Broberg kept the Warriors in the game, combining for 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the first frame, while the team's leading scorrer King was limited to just two points.
After the halftime break, the Warriors used their speed to get out and run against the Roos, outscoring Austin 10-0 on fast break points in the second half. King found a way to help the offense, attacking hte basket and getting to the line, where she went 6-for-6 in the second half.
Hendrix trailed by 10 with 8:33 left in the game but kept grinding away to cut into the deficit. Hendrix swung the momentum of the game in their favor on a huge transition three-point jumper from Broberg with 5:37 left that cut the lead to 57-51.
Anna King scored four straight points for the Warriors, folloed by a three from
Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler that capped a 7-2 Hendrix run to make it a one-point game.
Austin answered the bell with a pair of set plays, scoring five straight points to regain their six-point lead, but the Warriors refused to go away. In the final two minutes, the Hendrix defense came up with four big stops to keep Austin from scoring and the game within striking distance.
Katy Gallien gathered an offensive rebound and hit the follow to cut the lead to four with 1:46 left, and Dyslin drilled a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute to make it a two-point game. After another defensive stop, Hendrix had the ball and a chance to tie or go ahead, but turned the ball over before getting a shot up.
The Warriors finished just short of completing their largest comeback of the season. Austin escaped with a narrow 64-62 victory.
Hendrix falls to 2-6 on the season, including an 0-1 record against Southern Athletic Association opponents. The squad will play their final game before the holiday break on Saturday, December 20 when they host Texas Lutheran at 1 p.m.
