The women’s basketball team dropped both of its games this past week, falling to Bucknell University on Saturday and Holy Cross on Wednesday.
The Bison started the game with an early lead, stretching it to four points before a basket by sophomore guard Teresa Kiewiet put the Leopards on the board. This trend continued, with the Bison (9-5 Patriot League, 14-11 overall) outscoring the Leopards 20-14 by the end of the quarter.
During the second quarter, the Leopards (4-10 Patriot League, 7-18 overall) fought hard, coming back from an 11-point deficit at its peak down to two by the end of the first half.
The third quarter started well for the Leopards, who tied the game twice at 7:44 and 5:51 thanks to a jumper in the paint by Kiewiet and a 3-pointer by junior guard Sauda Ntaconayigize. However, the Bison quickly pulled back ahead, building a 10-point lead by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The Maroon and White did damage control for the rest of the game, trying to keep Bucknell’s lead in check, but the Bison coasted to a 62-51 win over the Leopards.
Kiewiet continued her run of high-scoring games, ending Saturday’s contest with 13. Senior guard Abby Antognoli racked in 10 and sophomore forward Brynn Beffert reached her career best with nine.
“My teammates gave me some great assists and I put them in,” Beffert said. “We didn’t end up winning that game, but you just gotta do everything you gotta do to win it.”
On Wednesday, the Leopards attempted to look past their previous game. The team could not recover, however, as it fell 83-42 in a blowout loss to the Holy Cross Crusaders.
The Crusaders secured the first jumper of the game and continued to build out the lead, finishing the quarter up by nine points.
“We talk about having the first punch in the first quarter, and they scored about 25 points in the first, that’s on track for a 100-point game,” Antognoli said.
After the first quarter already put the Leopards in a hole, the second quarter commenced with the Crusaders achieving their best scoring run of the game. The 13-0 scoring skid for the Leopards was finally broken by Kiewiet at the four-minute mark.
The Crusaders came out swinging in the second half, outscoring the Leopards 26-6 in the third quarter.
“We got to lock in on defense from the jump,” Beffert said.
As the quarter continued, the Leopards continued to struggle on defense, something the team is looking to work on. By the end of the quarter, the Crusaders had built out a 40-point lead, reaching a 68-28 tally.
The Maroon and White’s best quarter was the fourth, as they were only outscored by one point. Despite the rout, Antognoli said that the team still feels good about the remainder of the season.
“We’re confident we can compete with teams like this team,” Antognoli said. “It wasn’t our night tonight, but just knowing that we’re confident, we are capable and proceeding with effort.”
Joe • Feb 21, 2025 at 12:04 pm
Well written article!