The women’s basketball team had three contests this past week, and despite going 2-1, the team didn’t have their ‘A-game,’ which is key as the season heads toward its final stretch. Still, the team did manage wins over both Mount St. Mary’s and Skidmore, but dropped a tough one to Union.
The week started with the Lady Red Hawks attempting to recover from a North Country trip that saw them defeat Clarkson, but then get drubbed by St. Lawrence.
With this backdrop, the Red Hawks took to the floor to take on the Lady Knights of Mount St. Mary’s. The contest would prove a close one, with both teams taking turns with the lead.
Despite trailing by a point at the half, the Red Hawks managed to catch and hold the Lady Knights in the second half, winning 60-54.
On the night, Junior Holly Neiweem totaled 16 points on six for nine shooting, while Junior Co-Captain Melissa Coppola and Senior Kristen Campbell each netted 11. Coppola also added 11 boards.
Following a one-game reprieve from the UCAA, the Red Hawks returned to conference action on Friday night, facing the archrival Dutchwomen of Union. The Dutchwomen, who are off to the best start in the program’s 26-year history, would not be a pushover.
The game opened with Union attempting to run the ball using long outlet passes. This didn’t seem to phase the Red Hawks, who seemed to be with the Union team step for step. However, Union proved a scrappy team, coming up with rebounds and netting some tough shots.
The Red Hawks looked solid on defense, and forced several turnovers but couldn’t seem to capitalize. It seemed like only a matter of time before Rensselaer put a string of baskets together and put some distance between themselves and the Dutchwomen.
And thus, it seemed as if everything was going to plan when the Red Hawks took a 10 point lead late in the first half. But, the Dutchwomen had some fight left in them, eventually exploding for a quick run that cut RPI’s lead and made the halftime score 32-30.
The second half seemed to pick up where the first left off. Union’s shooting continued to heat up. The Dutchwomen went on to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, compared to the Red Hawks’ 29 percent. Additionally, Union’s star player, Katie Smith, got hot and threw in 19 points, hitting eight of 14 shots. This led to Union claiming a 69-59 victory.
Campbell turned in another good scoring night with 12, while Neiweem had 13. Freshman Kristin Kaczynski continued to play well as she connected for 10.
Next up were the Thoroughbreds of Skidmore. First, the team would have a challenge getting to the game, when the chartered bus to Saratoga broke down. After finally surviving the trip the team then turned its focus to recovering from the Union loss.
The first half would only prolong the Red Hawks frustrations, as the team shot 15 percent from the field. Several times down the floor the Red Hawks would miss a shot, get the rebound, and miss again. This gave an overmatched Skidmore team a window of opportunity and they grabbed it, taking an 18-15 lead into the half.
In the second half, the Red Hawks managed to regain control and denied the upstart Thoroughbreds their chance at an upset, winning by a score of 44-35.
In this contest, Coppola led the way with 11 points to go along with 12 boards. Campbell added seven points, while Freshman Alyssa Comis, and Kaczynski each had 6.
The Red Hawks will be in action again this weekend when they take on The Knights of Clarkson and the Saints of St. Lawrence at the Armory. The Red Hawks need to beat the Saints if they are to have a shot at home court advantage for the entire UCAA playoffs.
