The Park Gilbert Women's Basketball team struggled from the floor but still managed to get its first win in conference history with a 57-50 win over Simpson University this afternoon at The PHHacility in Phoenix, Ariz.  With the win the Bucs move to 10-7 overall and 1-1 in the Cal Pac Conference.  The Redhawks drop to 2-13, 0-3 in Cal Pac.

"With all of the injuries and illnesses we've endured, we are still a work in progress," said Bucs head coach Jeff Fore. "We are still putting combinations out on the floor who have not had a chance to have much if any practice time together.  It's a continuity issue we are still working through, but it is good to get a win as we work through it."

The Buccaneers struggled to put the ball in the basket in the first half only managing 19 points in the first two quarters as they only made 8 of 29 field goal attempts (28 percent). Fortunately for the Bucs, their efforts on the defensive end kept them in the game as they held the Redhawks to only nine field goals in the first half themselves which meant they only held a small 23-19 lead at the half.

Freshman shooting guard Kayla Schroeder kept the Bucs in the game in the first half as she scored 11 of the Bucs 19 points.

"Thank goodness for Kayla Schroeder," said Fore. "She played really well tonight on both ends of the floor and that's the great thing about this team, a different player can be the difference maker every night."

In the second half, Park Gilbert started to find the range, shooting 7-10 in the third quarter from the floor and from the line. The Bucs scored 21 points in the third period, which was more than they scored all first half. They also held Simpson to 20 percent shooting in the third quarter as they outscored the Redhawks by 11 to take a seven-point advantage they would not relinquish in the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw each team score 17 points apiece as both teams shot 46 percent from the floor.  When the game was in its final minute, Simpson needed to foul to stop the clock and hopefully put the Bucs on the line in an effort to make a comeback.  The only problem for the 'Hawks was they had only committed one foul in the entire period to that point so time continued to bleed off the clock as the Redhawks kept fouling the Bucs to put them in the bonus. 

Once Park was in the bonus, there was under 20 seconds remaining and Schroeder and center Valerie Van Dijk made their free throws to salt the game away.

Van Dijk led the Bucs in scoring in the second half, scoring 10 of her 12 points.  The Surprise, Ariz., native also led the Bucs with eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. As a team the Buccaneers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Redhawks 39-28. 

After a poor first half, Park Gilbert finished the game shooting 40 percent from the floor and they shot an impressive 75 percent from the line.  Free throw shooting has been a sore spot at times for the Bucs this season, but with the addition of Van Dijk, who has shot well from the line in four games she has played this year should make the line a strength.

Schroeder led the Bucs with 15 points and added three steals.  Van Dijk was the only other Bucs to score in double digits.  Destinee Vigil led the team with five assists to go along with nine points.

Park Gilbert now has a few days off before its next conference matchup.  The Bucs were slated to play UC Merced on Sunday, but the Bobcats had to back out due to a covid positive case within their program.  The Buccaneers will face off with Arizona rival Embry-Riddle on Wednesday, February 2 at 6 p.m. at The PHHacility. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in two years.