After defeating the Saints of St. Lawrence last weekend to move into a tie for first, the women’s basketball team opened Friday night’s game with an 18-3 run en route to demolishing the Herons of William Smith 68-44.
The 22-point victory represents the first-ever win by an RPI women’s team against William Smith on their home court.
The first half was fast and furious as the Red Hawks defended everywhere, pressing the Herons full court and forcing multiple turnovers.
This defense led to a 4-0 RPI advantage before William Smith’s Erin Case hit a 3-pointer to make it 4-3. The Herons wouldn’t score again for the next seven minutes, as the Red Hawks forced them into mistakes and built an 18-3 lead.
After William Smith finally did score again, Rensselaer proceeded to go on another run to close out the first half with the score 37-13.
The Red Hawks’ defense was even more dominant than the first-half score indicates. Not only were the Herons held to 13 points on 18.5 percent shooting from the field, but they didn’t break the double-digit barrier until the clock showed 3:13 remaining in the half.
In the second, the Red Hawks showed some mercy, and William Smith found a little more shooting touch. Given these factors, the scoring was even at 31 points apiece for the half, giving RPI a 68-44 win.
The Red Hawks’ great team defense was supplemented by aggressive offense that continually attacked the basket. Co-captain Melissa Coppola totaled 16 points on eight for nine shooting and also added 10 boards. Forward Kristin Campbell was eight for 12 from the floor to finish with 16, and Forward Shannon Pratt capped the scoring barrage with 7 points of her own.
On Saturday, the Red Hawks turned their attention to Hamilton, a team that gave them a run for their money in a previous meeting that took place in the Armory. This time RPI would have to face them on the road and would have to avoid a letdown after a big win.
The first half appeared to be just the opposite of a letdown, as the Red Hawks seemed to be riding the momentum they had built the night before and jumped out to a 36-18 halftime lead.
The pesky Continentals chipped away in the second half, and made a 14-4 run down the stretch. This was capped by a 3-pointer from Jenny Russell with 1:08 remaining, which cut the RPI lead to 5.
At this point the Continentals began fouling, but it didn’t matter to the strong Red Hawks’ offense. They continually got the ball to Guard Holly Neiweem, who has proven herself to be fine from the line down the stretch. This was the case once again, as Neiweem connected on 10 of 11 free throws.
Neiweem finished with 19 points on the day as the Red Hawks rolled to a 63-52 win. Campbell added 11 points and Coppola netted 10. Rookie Forward Kristin Kaczynski continued her strong play this season with 10 points, earning her Rookie of the Week honors in the UCAA for the third straight week.
The win upped the Red Hawks’ record to 17-4 overall and 9-2 in the UCAA. Rensselaer has two conference games remaining.
If the Red Hawks win both and St. Lawrence follows suit, the two teams will go to tie breakers to determine the top seed for the UCAA tourney.
This weekend’s games, in addition to producing the seeding for the playoffs, will also mark the final regular-season home games for seniors Campbell, Pratt, and Schulten.
