T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE • Marshalltown Community College sophomore guard Barbara Araoz, center, shoots between Southwestern defenders Chelsi Sams, left, and Keaundrea Washington (22) in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s women’s basketball game at the Student Activity Center. Araoz scored seven points but the Tigers fell in their season opener, 74-55.

With an 11-player roster comprised almost entirely of freshmen, the Marshalltown Community College women’s basketball team can expect its share of growing pains to start the season.

A 33-turnover tally in Saturday’s opener certainly qualifies.

The youthful Tigers struggled to gain entry into their half-court offense because of Southwestern’s aggressive zone front, and MCC fell behind early en route to a 74-55 loss to the visiting Spartans inside the Student Activity Center.

Twenty-nine of MCC’s 33 turnovers were committed by newcomers, and the Tigers never led as a result. Southwestern made its first three 3-point attempts and led from wire-to-wire, boosted by a 10-for-24 performance from behind the arc in the first half.

The Spartans (1-0) shot out to a 42-31 halftime lead and scored the first 11 points of the third quarter, propelled by MCC’s sluggish start to the second half. The Tigers committed six turnovers and missed four field-goal attempts before finally ending the scoring drought seven minutes into the period.

“Sometimes when you have almost all freshmen, it’s a learning process not only for them but for the coaches,” said MCC head coach Steve Garber. “You get to understand their mentality and their approach. But our passing skills were not good at all. We couldn’t score because we couldn’t get into our offense.”

Southwestern racked up 30 points off turnovers, picking off Marshalltown’s passes from the point around the perimeter as well as entry passes intended for the post.

The Tigers eventually found their way into the lane in the fourth quarter, as freshman forward Loralei Siliga scored 10 of her 15 points after halftime, but it was a lost cause by then.

“We needed some post players to get in there and want the ball, but our post people were standing around,” said Garber. “They had no desire or enthusiasm to want the ball. Overall our post play was horrendous, they did nothing for us.”

Siliga and fellow freshman Estelle Eduardo shared team-high scoring honors for the Tigers with 15 points. Eduardo went 5-for-12 from 3-point range but also committed five turnovers in her collegiate debut.

Victoria Pothast and Barbara Araoz, MCC’s only returning sophomores, both finished with seven points. Pothast, a West Marshall High School graduate, also had five rebounds and just one turnover.

“I thought Tori (Pothast) did a good job in there and Estelle was producing points we obviously needed,” Garber said, “but a lot of the freshmen were a little wishy-washy.”

The Tigers’ toughness was challenged at the point of attack from the opening whistle, as Southwestern’s 2-3 zone defense extended to the point that the Spartans rarely left a defender in the low post. MCC failed to find the soft spot at the center of the zone, and 8-for-29 shooting from 3-point land didn’t get it done either.

Southwestern, meanwhile, was knocking down its 3-pointers in bunches in building an eight-point lead through the first quarter. The Spartans led by as many as 17 points in the second period.

Pothast scored all of her seven points for MCC in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer from the corner to keep the Tigers within five, 23-18, to start the stanza. Southwestern led 42-27 before Marshalltown scored the last six points of the half, with Eduardo knocking down a 3-pointer and Siliga converting Eduardo’s ensuing steal just before the buzzer.

But a seven-minute scoring drought to open the second half was more than the young Tigers could overcome.

“We’re just trying to get better every day of the year and hopefully we can be at our best at t ehend of the year,” Garber said. “It’s a long row to hoe, but we’ll get back at it on Monday.”

MCC has a week off to prepare for the Meskwaki Classic, in which the Tigers will host St. Louis CC on Nov. 12. Marshalltown’s first six games all are at home.

Southwestern CC 74, Marshalltown CC 55

At Marshalltown

SOUTHWESTERN (1-0) — Alford 2-4 0-0 4, M.Carter 2-5 3-4 7, Sams 5-9 0-0 15, Spivey 1-2 0-0 2, Beemer 6-16 0-0 17, J.Carter 4-10 1-2 11, Bronner 2-6 2-2 6, Frazier 5-9 0-0 10, Washington 1-4 0-0 2. TOTALS 28-65 6-8 74.

MARSHALLTOWN CC (0-1) — Kavanh 1-9 0-0 3, Pothast 3-5 0-0 7, Cantu 1-3 0-0 2, Roth 2-6 0-0 4, Morente 0-6 0-0 0, Araoz 1-2 5-6 7, Roberts 0-0 0-0 0, Doby 1-2 0-0 2, Siliga 6-11 2-3 15, Eduardo 5-12 0-0 15, Weston 0-2 0-2 0. TOTALS 20-58 7-11 55.

SWCC, 23, 19, 15, 17, –, 74

MCC, 15, 16, 6, 18, –, 55

3-Point Goals–SWCC 12-34 (Sams 5-9, Beemer 5-12, J.Carter 2-7, Alford 0-1, M.Carter 0-1, Spivey 0-1, Frazier 0-1, Washington 0-2); MCC 8-29 (Eduardo 5-12, Siliga 1-1, Pothast 1-2, Kavanh 1-8, Roth 0-1, Doby 0-1, Morente 0-4). Rebounds–SWCC 34 (M.Carter, Spivey 5); MCC 42 (Morente 6). Assists–SWCC 16 (J.Carter 4), MCC 13 (Morente 4). Total Fouls–SWCC 16, MCC 12. Fouled out–none. Technical Foul–Southwestern bench.