WHO NEEDS a Banks calendar when a visiting team can remind Clapham just how long ago August was?
Four months after capturing their first ever league title, the lady Bulls looked anything but champs while managing just two second-quarter points on the way to a humbling 79-47 defeat to the touring Rochester University in a women’s basketball exhibition at the Wildey Gym on Thursday.
The game was the first of a two-game tour for the collegiate side from New York who had probably expected a challenge from the local league queens.
But the tourists were far from gracious guests while opening the second quarter scoring 13 unanswered points as part of a game-changing 22-point run, transforming a close four-point contest into a 50-26 half-time blowout.
This was after Clapham threatened to make a game of it in the previous period, with prolific combo guard Toni Atherley exploding for ten points in a back-and-forth trade of baskets with Maddie Korber, Laney Ming and Kristyn Wright.
At one point the MVP favourite scored six of Bulls’ first ten points on a series of tough drives before assisting Rhe-Ann Niles on a bucket and finishing on a two-on-one fast-break.
Sade Clarke even added a buzzer-beating triple to show signs of further resistance, helping Clapham to survive a late burst from Aly Zywicki and keep within striking distance (28-24) heading into the second.
However, Ming was simply merciless thereafter, pushing the action in transition while repeatedly finding Korber for uncontested layups as Rochester took advantage of their opponents’ poor off-season conditioning.
And with Atherley sitting out most of the second period, Bulls could only manage a left-handed layup by Clarke for the entire period while watching the Yellowjackets run up the score.
It didn’t help any that Clapham couldn’t keep Korber and Loren Wagner off the offensive glass either, as Rochester more than feasted on the several second chance opportunities.
Clarke briefly battled back on the other side of the break with a pair of lefty drives before Atherley too found her way to the rack as part of an encouraging opening start to the third. But that run proved both short-lived and insignificant, having come to a swift end following three successive Danielle McNabb baskets on the inside (60-30).
Korber finished with 14 points and McNabb added ten, while Atherley led Bulls with a game-high 16 points.
The tour concludes tomorrow at 6 p.m., with the Yellowjackets playing against a combined clubs team at the same venue.
