Nicholson gets 30 in Harper's loss

The Harper women's basketball team was looking for back to-back wins for the first time this season.

But visiting Joliet Junior College looked every bit as good as its 19-9 record and came away with an 82-56 victory in Palatine on Saturday in North Central Community College Conference play.

"I thought we came out with good intensity," said Joliet coach Shaun Sanderson.

The Wolves shot the ball well and protected it well, which helped lead to the triumph.

"We were not able to make our shots," said Harper coach Jenny Turpel. "We missed some easy layups."

The Hawks shot 33.9 percent compared to 52.3 by Joliet.

"Our shots just were not falling," said sophomore Joslyn Nicholson, who led Harper with 30 points. "Their shots were falling and they were going on runs. And they (Joliet) were playing good defense."

Turpel was able to put the game in perspective.

"Things aren't always going to fall for you," she said. "But it affected our effort. You have to work that much harder on defense. It's an effort thing."

Turpel wanted to focus on the Hawks' 19 turnovers.

"Most of our turnovers were on bad passes due to the Joliet's zone press and careless mistakes," she said. "I can't second-guess our defense. It gets us going."

"The last couple of games, we've struggled passing. We are capable of making better passes."