WHITING, Ind. – A foul call at the buzzer with the game tied led to free throws for host Calumet-St. Joseph, and the Roosevelt women's basketball team saw Latoi Merriweather break the deadlock with a made shot from the charity stripe to send the Lakers to a tough 76-75 loss on Saturday.
Jasmine Kyler led the Lakers (8-18, 4-10 CCAC) with 17 points and a game- and career-high 15 rebounds. The performance marked Kyler's eighth double-double of her freshman campaign.
Paige Gallimore added 16, Becky Williford scored 15 and Sara Beck posted 13 points and eight boards.
Dariyan Morris led all scorers with 26 for the Crimson Wave (9-18, 3-10 CCAC).
The two teams traded leads throughout the close contest, and after CCSJ took an eight-point advantage with just over five minutes left, Gallimore scored back-to-back baskets, including a huge three, that helped the Lakers respond and return the game to a single-possession affair for most of the final minutes.
Gallimore tied the game with a pair of made free throws with 54 ticks left, and after Merriweather missed a three, Morris gathered the offensive rebound for a final shot. The controversial foul was then whistled on Kelley McInerney as the horn sounded, giving Merriweather a trip to the stripe where she made the first and missed the second to end the game in the hosts' favor by the slimmest of margins.
"Tough to lose on a free throw," Roosevelt head coach Robyn Scherr-Wells said shortly after the game ended. "I'll have to watch the film, but I thought that was a tough call to end the game. Their player jumped into our defenders out-of-control and forced up a shot. I don't think you make that call in that moment.
"Bottom line we gave up too many points, especially in the first half," Scherr-Wells said of the Lakers allowing 41 prior to intermission. "We had some bad turnovers that led to transition points. There were a few areas where we could have been better throughout the course of the game."
Saturday's loss to the Crimson Wave was Roosevelt's first defeat at the hands of CCSJ. The Lakers entered the game 6-0 all-time against the Northwest Indiana-based CCAC foe.
Roosevelt hosts sixth-ranked Cardinal Stritch this Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Paige Gallimore didn't let the Lakers go away quietly with a late eight-point deficit, scoring big buckets and free throws.
