The Red Hawks began Friday’s game against Clarkson with “strong legs and strong minds” as they defeated the Clarkson Golden Knights with a final score of 56-48, but fell short on Saturday against the conference-leading St. Lawrence Saints.
“5-5-5-5” was the term Head Coach John Greene used to describe the team’s performance on Friday night as they defeated the Golden Knights. By focusing on the first and last five minutes of each half in the game, the Red Hawks were able to jump on their opponents right away and finish them off by the end.
The Red Hawks finished the first half with a solid seven-point lead and maintained this lead through the second half with strong defensive play.
On offense, co-captains Holly Neiweem and Jo Alexander led the pack with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Kaitlyn Saunders contributed some great steals and Karen Wood added four assists to clinch the win. However, the entire team was responsible for this win, according to Coach Greene, who called it a “total team effort.”
Saturday’s game ended with a loss to St. Lawrence, the top team in the UCAA, with a score of 66-57.
The Saints came on strong in the beginning to gain a 10-point lead by the end of the first half. Although both teams played fairly equally during the second half, the Red Hawks could not overcome St. Lawrence’s initial push. Offensive highlights for Rensselaer were Kristin Kaczynski, who scored 14 points, while Neiweem and Saunders each scored 15 points for the Red Hawks.
Coming off of this weekend, the Red Hawks look eagerly to the next game against St. Lawrence, currently the biggest obstacle to a repeat UCAA championship for RPI—after the game, Neiweem said that the team “will be gunning for them next time around.”
