WASHINGTON– The Gallaudet University women's basketball team took their shot early against Notre Dame of Maryland University here Wednesday night on Padden Court but lost, 60-42, in the United East conference game in the Field House.

Gallaudet (1-10, 0-3 United East) jumped out to an early advantage with a 10-0 run at the 4:03 mark and shot an outstanding 61.5 percent (8 for 13) in the opening quarter. The Bison limited the Gators to just six points and carried a 17-6 lead into the second quarter.

The Bison continued their momentum early in the second quarter as they built a 22-8 advantage in the first three minutes. Notre Dame (Md.) capitalized on the 11 Bison turnovers and the Gators defense made baskets hard to come by for Gallaudet. The Gators erased the 14-point deficit as both teams went into halftime knotted at 25 apiece.

The third quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle. Gallaudet answered several Notre Dame baskets with key scores. The buff and blue were behind by 10 points within the first five minutes before GU responded with a 7-0 run before the Gators (6-6, 3-0 United East) closed the third quarter up 41-36.

Gallaudet continued to battle in the final quarter, but struggled with cold shooting and additional turnovers allowed Notre Dame (Md.) to extend its lead late. The Gators sealed the game at the free-throw line, going a perfect 8 for 8 in the fourth quarter.

First-year forward/center Kayla Debrow (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored a team-high 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds, made three steals and had two blocks. Sophomore forward Sophia Wascher (Noblesville, Ind.) added 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior guard Sunita Schmidjorg (Austin, Texas) scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds, and passed out three assists off the bench in her season debut at home. Sophomore guard/forward Mackenzie Schirg (Factoryville, Pa.) grabbed seven rebounds and made a career-high three blocks.

The Gators had three players score in double figures, led by Marecia Barnett and Allison Holman who scored 14 points each in the win.

UP NEXT
GU will travel north to Middletown, Pa., this Saturday, Jan. 10, for a 3 p.m. conference game at Penn State Harrisburg (3-12, 2-2 United East).