After finishing last season with an overall record of 14-10 and advancing to the semi-finals of the Liberty League Tournament before falling to William Smith College, it is clear that the Red Hawks have a solid core of young talent and are in great position to grow as a program this year.
Eleven players return to RPI this season and four talented freshmen are new joins. Many of the upperclassmen will look to provide leadership for Rensselaer this season. Senior captain Kristi Baranowski, a member of the All-Liberty League Second Team and the league’s leader in rebounding (9.5 per game) in addition to junior Tory Lyons, who averaged a solid 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, will establish the front court for RPI.
Senior Destany Eagles and junior Missy Jackman will also captain the team this year and provide great depth at the guard positions, bolstering a strong and complete team.
Sophomores Caitlyn Charest and Whitney Coleman (who was last year’s Liberty League Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-League Second Team averaging 11.4 points per game) will also look to help the Red Hawks find their way early and often this season.
So as Thanksgiving approached and many were pleased for the much-needed break, family and fans alike gathered at Robison Gym to watch the RPI women open up their season this past Tuesday at home versus SUNY Oswego.
Both teams battled hard in the first half, trading baskets as the lead wavered back and forth. Oswego, though, would capture the lead late in the half and cling to an eight-point advantage, 36-28, heading into the break.
The second half spelled trouble for the Red Hawks as the women saw their deficit continuously grow throughout the remainder of the game. While the team struggled, RPI shot 37 percent from the field while going 1-10 from behind the arc (3-16 on the day), and got to the free throw line only ten times over the course of the entire game.
On the other side, however, the Lakers shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second, and had 19 attempts from the free throw line (31 attempts on the game) which propelled them to victory. At the end of regulation, the lead had ballooned to 21 points as the Red Hawks dropped the contest 76-55.
Jessica Tremblay scored 19 points, 13 of which were in the second half, to lead the way for the Lakers. Tremblay also tallied six rebounds and four steals. For Rensselaer, Baranowski had a team best 11 points and grabbed six boards while the rest of the team’s contributions were very evenly spread across the board.
RPI will return to action and look to improve on its 0-1 record this weekend when they prepare for a short road trip. Goals for the Red Hawks will include: a pressure team defense; shooting a higher percentage from the floor; and finding more ways to get to the free throw line. Saturday Rensselaer will take on Bowdoin College, and then Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Sunday; both games are scheduled for 2 pm.
