GPS probably would've liked to have had a smoother-looking finish to its basketball game Tuesday at Baylor, but the way the Bruisers played leading up to the last two and a half minutes proved plenty fluent enough.
A late push by the Lady Red Raiders could only close the gap on GPS's 55-48 victory in a Division II-AA game that leaves both teams 2-1 in the East/Middle Region standings.
GPS got off to a 13-2 start and led by as many as 15 points on the way to a 23-13 halftime lead. Baylor coach John Gibson acknowledged it was a rivalry game, but said his team appeared to play "a little frantic" at the beginning.
"We were a little more excitable than we should've been," Gibson said. "We've got to learn to keep our composure and don't get ahead of ourselves. We took a couple of quick shots. We had some wide-open looks that didn't go, and we turned it over a couple of times. They're really good. In order to beat a team like that you've got to play 60 possessions at both ends of the floor."
Gibson said he was hesitant to try to get into a quick-paced game, even after falling behind, for fear of speeding the Bruisers right into layups. GPS coach Susan Crownover attributed her team's quick start, which she thought could've been quicker, to pressure defense.
"I think we turned them over five straight times at one point and got five points out of it," Crownover said. "We were missing some shots, but they were missing more."
Nine was as close as the Lady Raiders got in the third quarter, which ended with GPS leading 39-26. The Bruisers' Simone Busby made a three-point play with 2:31 remaining that left the score 50-36.
From there, Baylor's Amber Howard and Megan Ausdran made two field goals apiece, including a 3-pointer each, and when Ausdran converted two free throws with 27.8 seconds to play, it was down to a two-possession game. Brianna Farris made the front end of a one-and-one for GPS (16-3) with 9.8 seconds to go for the final margin.
"I thought we put together a pretty good game," Crownover said. "The girls worked hard and played hard. They all played their roles well. We lost their shooters a little bit at the end. We've got to learn to play with a lead a little bit better.
"Good shooters are going to get hot, and they've got three who can shoot it."
The problem for Baylor (11-8) was three -- led by Howard's 25 points -- were all that scored. Mary Ellen Williams, with eight points, was the other. Ausdran struggled shooting inside before halftime and ended up getting 11 of her 15 points in the second half.
"In her defense, her shots were being contested by two or three people," Gibson said. "There were bodies all around her. We're not going to change anything. We're going to try to play the game inside-out."
Busby's team-high 19 points for GPS and Jeneh Perry's 16 were were often direct results from passes by point guard Chadarryl Clay. She contributed 10 points.