The (RV) Raven Women's Basketball team used a strong defensive effort to earn their sixth-straight win on Thursday night, beating the Baker Wildcats 61-56 inside Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
Benedictine (17-8, 12-7 Heart) held the Baker (15-11, 10-10 Heart) to 35.5 percent shooting from the field and just 23.3 percent from behind the 3-point line in the win.
Neither team shot well in the opening half, but the Ravens warmed up in the second half. The home squad shot 42.3 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes to finish at 37.3 percent for the game. The Ravens also converted 4-of-9 3-pointers in the second half.
The Ravens led by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats trimmed that lead to 5 points with two minutes to play. A Baker 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining cut the Ravens lead to 3 points, but LaRanda Thomas closed out the game with two free throws. Thomas finished with 15 points and four assists, and was the only Ravens player in double-figures.
Ten different players saw action for the Ravens, and all played at least 15 minutes. Each of the 10 scored for the Ravens, as well.
The Ravens held a halftime lead of 26-20 after both teams struggled to find an offensive flow in the opening 20 minutes. Neither team shot better than 33 percent from the floor in the opening half.
One of the main differences in the first half were turnovers – Baker had 11 compared to nine for the Ravens. The final turnover of the half for the Wildcats led to a buzzer-beating jump shot by Skylar Washington to give the Lady Ravens the 6-point lead at the break.
Eight different players scored in the first half for the Ravens and no player had more than Rylee Neill's 5 points.
The halftime lead disappeared in the third quarter as the Wildcats took a 34-32 lead alte in the period. However, Thomas and Ali Brzozowski hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Ravens back in front 38-34. Thomas made a spinning layup seconds before the buzzer to give the Lady Ravens a 43-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Ravens will remain home for their next contest, a 2 p.m. tip Saturday, Feb. 9 against Graceland University. Senior Day will be celebrated between the games.
