Comets fade in fourth, fall to Spires, 68-46

Cottey junior guard Kelsey Acton drives the left baseline, and into heavy traffic Wednesday evening against the St. Mary Spires.

Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

Worn down by a frenetic full-court pressure defense, the Cottey Comet basketball team succumbed to the University of St. Mary Spires, 68-46, in their home-opener Wednesday evening at Hinkhouse Center.

The Spires opened the contest on an 11-0 run, and led 20-10 after one quarter of play. St. Mary then increased its advantage to 29-13 midway through the second, with Cottey closing the half on a 7-3 run.

Behind the strong play off Cottey shooting guard Kelsey Acton, the Comets roared back early in the third. Acton’s driving lay-in and trip to the charity stripe, was followed by a back-court steal and 3-pointer, trimming the Squires lead to 38-32.

A quick 5-0 spurt had St. Mary back up double-digit. The Comets again clawed back, as Acton’s back-court theft and lay-in sliced Cottey’s deficit to 46-41.

A 17-2 St. Mary run, extending from late in the third quarter to the mid-point of the fourth, put the contest out of reach, as the Spires seized an insurmountable 63-43 lead.

The loss moves Cottey to 0-4 overall.

Acton concluded with a game-high 15 points, while her sister Karlie chipped in 13. The Spires, meanwhile, spread around the wealth as five different players tallied double-figure scoring totals.

Up next

A road contest with Omaha, Nebraska area-school Bellevue University, Saturday at 4 p.m.

Editor’s Note: A request for quotes was made to Cottey head basketball coach Stephanie Beason — and as of press time Thursday night, Beason remained unavailable for comment