The women’s basketball team notched its first win of the season, defeating Saint Francis University 53-45 in the team’s home opener last Saturday before suffering a blowout defeat against Marist University 73-41 on Wednesday night.
In the contest against Saint Francis (0-3 overall), both teams got out to a sluggish start in the opening 10 minutes, with the first basket of the game not coming until after more than two minutes of play.
The teams traded scores in the opening period, but the Leopards (1-2 overall) took the lead following a 3-pointer from senior guard Abby Antognoli and a midrange jumper from freshman guard Talia Zurinskas to give the Leopards the lead. Antognoli would extend the lead with two seconds to play, scoring three more points on an and-one layup to end the first quarter with a 14-10 lead.
The Red Flashes knotted the score up at 16 apiece in the second quarter, but the Leopards went on a 6-0 scoring run led by Zurinskas and a pair of layups from junior guard Kay Donahue.
Saint Francis would respond to close the half, however, going on a 7-0 run following a timeout to take a slender 23-22 lead into the interval. It was a frustrating end to the half for the Maroon and White, who turned the ball over 10 times and shot just 33% despite generating good offensive opportunities.
“We were definitely lacking some energy in the first half,” Antognoli said. “Our coach told us at halftime that it doesn’t matter if the ball is going in, we still need to have that defensive spark.”
The team wasted no time grabbing the lead back in the third quarter, getting scores from sophomore forward Tasha Chudy and sophomore guard Teresa Kiewiet to make it 26-23. The Leopards would take control of the game in the third quarter, getting points from Antognoli, Donahue and junior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize en route to a 10-point lead to end the quarter.
“One of our goals this year is to be a third-quarter team,” Zurinskas said. “We want to come out and punch them and not let them punch us.”
The key to the Leopards’ success in the third came through team defense. The Leopards hounded Saint Francis in the defensive end, forcing the Red Flash into five turnovers throughout the frame, and pushing them to the end of the shot clock on nearly every possession.
“We just locked into our assignments,” Antognoli said. “Clearly, when we do that, they were struggling to pretty much get anything up. It provides us with big energy.”
The teams would trade points in the final quarter of the game, but the Leopards would hang on to clinch the game 53-45. Antognoli headlined the stats for the Leopards with 19 points and three rebounds, and Donahue finished in double digits with 12 points.
“We have many people in different roles this year,” Antognoli said. “The more we play, the more we’ll gel, and I think with time we’ll start to see even more improvement on the offensive end.”
Unfortunately for the Maroon and White, the team could not keep its momentum, as it lost in a blowout on the road against Marist University (2-1 overall).
The story of the game was the 3-point line, as the Leopards struggled to convert on their looks, shooting an abysmal 2-19 from downtown. On the other end, the Maroon and White struggled to defend the perimeter, as the Red Foxes shot a blistering 40% from 3-point range.
Chudy was the lone double-digit scorer for the Maroon and White, tallying 10 points on 3-6 shooting in an otherwise bleak shooting performance.
The Leopards will play host to a top-10 team this weekend, with No. 6 University of Notre Dame set to visit College Hill on Sunday.
“I’m definitely excited,” Zurinskas said. “It’s going to be good competition.”
