December 21, 2003
WC Loses Vegas Opener to Central
Piringer Paces Shorewomen with 14

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Washington College women's basketball team slipped to 2-4 this season with a 72-55 loss to Central College in the first round of the Adidas D-3 Desert Shootout today on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas, NV. Central improved to 4-3 with the win.

Central jumped out to a 32-13 lead with two minutes left in the first half before the Shorewomen ripped off an 11-0 run to close the period and cut the lead to 32-24 by the intermission. Senior guard Katie Piringer (Potomac, MD/Stone Ridge) sparked the run, coming off the bench to score five of Washington's 11 points during that stretch.

The Dutch answered with an 8-0 spurt to open the second half, capped off by a lay-up by Ashley Nekola with 17:50 remaining that made it 40-24. Central kept the lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.

Nekola finished with a game-high 21 points for the Dutch, while Jenny Randeris tallied 12. Nekola and Randeris each finished with a game-best nine boards.

Piringer led the Shorewomen with 14 points on five-for-six shooting from the floor and three-for-four shooting from beyond the arc. Senior forward Liz Smith (Sharpsburg, MD/Boonsboro) added 13 points, while senior guard Karen Simos (North Potomac, MD/Thomas S. Wootton) contributed 11.

Both teams struggled from the floor, with Central shooting 36% and the Shorewomen shooting 32%. The difference in the game was on the glass, where the Dutch held a commanding 55-30 advantage. Central pulled down 26 offensive rebounds in the win.

The Shorewomen return to action tomorrow in the consolation game of the Adidas D-3 Desert Shootout against Bridgewater. Tip-time is set for 11:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

BOX SCORE