SCOTTSBLUFF, NE – The Laramie County Community College women's basketball team couldn't capitalize on a brilliant start to their game against Dodge City Community College, falling to the Conquistadors 82-56 on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the Fairfield Inn Cougar Classic.

The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start thanks to a 19-point first half and a defense that kept Dodge City to just six in the quarter.  A big part to the start was the hot shooting from Kelly Megown who began the night 3-3 from the three-point line.

"We talked about how quick the turnaround was going to be and how we were going to be tired but we just talked about having to focus on the details and just being disciplined on both ends of the floor," Head Coach Danille Rinaldo said.

An injury to Megown in the second quarter hurt the attack from the Golden Eagles and the offense sputtered a bit in the second quarter as the Conqs held the LCCC offense to just eleven points, nearly doubling them up with a 21-point quarter.

The two teams went to the break with Dodge City lurking behind LCCC 30-27.

The second half saw the offensive success continue as the three pointers began to fall for the Conquistadors and they were able to take the lead thanks to a quarter they outscored the Golden Eagles 24-14 in.

The story line of the second half kept up in the fourth when the Conquistadors finished off the game with a 31-point quarter on the way to outscoring the Golden Eagles by 19.

"(Dodge City) just started hitting their shots," Rinaldo said. "They started pushing the ball in transition and I think we just got tired both mentally and physically. It's a long weekend"

Despite the lopsided 82-56 final score, the LCCC coaching staff was happy with parts of the performance, particularly the beginning when they had Dodge City on the ropes.

"I just think our understanding and our chemistry are improving," Rinaldo said. "Our passing is better, and we are finding each other. Our communication is better and then definitely our defense."

The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 30 percent from the field on 67 shots and went 12-46 from beyond the three-point line.

Marcela Pinedo-Saavedra was the leading scorer in the game for LCCC with 16 points that she paired with 14 rebounds for her first double-double of the 2024-25 season.

"That was big time because if we can start getting the ball inside a little bit more it will open up our shooters as well," Rinaldo said of Pinedo-Saavedra's growth.

Both Flora Lukow and Keira Williams added eleven points each which Lukow tacking on a team high four assists.

The Golden Eagles struggled on turnovers with 19 in the game, but they did force eleven from Dodge City. The rebounding battle went to the Golden Eagles 44-40 with an impressive 21 offensive rebounds for the team in the game.

LCCC is back in action this upcoming weekend when they will travel to Gillette College for a pair of games in a tournament weekend. Things begin on Friday against United Tribes Technical College at 1:30 PM before they follow up with a game against Colorado Northwest Community College at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning.

Stream links to the games can be found at www.golccc.com as well as more information on the rest of the schedule for the Golden Eagle women.