Despite leading by as much as eight points in the first half, the Guilford College women’s basketball team fell to Roanoke College 85-77 at Ragan-Brown Field House on Monday, Jan. 29.

Once Roanoke had momentum, they didn’t let up in the second half and led for most of the remainder of the game.

The Maroons had a distinct height advantage, playing a center who was 6-feet-2. First-year Morgan King is the tallest Quaker at 6-feet 1.

“We worked hard. We played hard. We did a great job in so many aspects, but it is hard when you are playing against six seniors,” said head coach Stephanie Flamini. “They made big shots and they are a good team. They are an experienced team. We’re young, and you can see the difference.”

Junior Jazlyn Gibbs led the Quakers with 24 points and shot 50 percent from the field. She sank five 3-pointers and had three assists along with a steal.

“I think when they got fired up, we had a hard time getting fired back up with them, and that was the main issue,” Gibbs said.

Roanoke head coach Susan Dunagan attributed the Maroons’ win to their comeback from eight points down in the first half to finish the half down 30-29.

“I think when we were able to come back at the end of the first half, we were able to chip away,” Dunagan said.

“We had a lot of turnovers in the first half. We had a lot of unnecessary fouls that we didn’t need to make.

“Then we started to hit a few shots and get a little more momentum and carried it in the half. They knew they could do this, but they had to play smarter,” Dunagan continued.

“The other thing was that Guilford was making us rush in the first half,” Dunagan concluded. “They got us out of sync, and we were trying to force things. We calmed down and started playing our way.”

A trio of Quaker first-years also had double figures in points. Gabby Oglesby had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Kayla Adams contributed 11 points. She was three-for-six behind the 3-point arc and didn’t turn the ball over.

Logan Terry added 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Fellow King had nine points and four rebounds.

In the first half, Gibbs and the other guards could get open looks at 3-pointers. However, in the second half, the Maroons cut down the Quakers’ shots from behind the arc by playing man-to-man defense.

“We didn’t go back to zone,” said Dunagan. “We started to do it, but they were so hot. (Flamini) has a good offense with the three guards, and we weren’t getting out there.”

Roanoke dished the ball inside to junior Nicci Moats, the aforementioned 6-foot center, who had 21 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. She was able to get open inside because the Quakers had to respect senior Rebecca Bays’ 3-point shooting ability. Bays also contributed 21 points.

“They came out on us. We have a good inside game,” Flamini said. “We just need to dump it in. We need to share the ball. I didn’t think we played bad, but we just couldn’t stop their inside game. When we did, they played great outside, as well.”

“They had two kids with 21 points. Nothing was working, but that is what happens when you play the top team in the conference,” Flamini reasoned.

“The future of the Quaker women’s basketball program looks bright, (Guilford) did a great job. They are young, but they are going to be there. I know that for a fact,” she said.