It was about defense this weekend for the Rensselaer women’s basketball team as they swept their UCAA weekend by blowing out St. Lawrence 60-41 on Friday evening and then destroying Clarkson by the equally impressive margin of 62-42 on Saturday.
In Friday’s match-up with the Saints, Rensselaer came out looking for revenge after the Red Hawks were embarrassed in Canton on January 24.
RPI came out and played a near flawless game, especially on the defensive end of the court. Rensselaer held the Saints to just 12 points on 23 percent shooting in the first half.
In the second half, Rensselaer continued to implement intense pressure on St. Lawrence and the Saints could not at any point mount a significant rally.
“We knew we had to pick our defense,” Senior forward and captain Jacqueline Ferrari said. “We had to be more intense and get up in their faces.”
Rensselaer forced the Saints to commit 24 turnovers, held them to 30 percent shooting from the field, and only allowed St. Lawrence to hit 10 percent of their three-field goal attempts.
“We really needed both these games this weekend,” Ferrari said. “We got humiliated last time we played them and we really wanted to kick their butt.”
Junior forward Kaitlyn Saunders led the team with 18 points and four assists while senior captain Kristen Kaczynski had 17 points, nine rebounds, and five steals in the win.
Senior Caitlin Vestal added 11 points and Ferrari had three points and nine boards.
In Saturday’s contest against Clarkson, the Red Hawks again put on another defensive clinic as they defeated the Golden Knights by a 20-point margin.
Rensselaer again held their opponent to under 30 percent shooting in the first half, but was unable to pull away due to poor shooting and Kaczynski and Saunders being in early foul trouble.
With Rensselaer’s two main offensive threats on the bench, the Red Hawks supporting cast picked up the slack. Ferrari notched 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half alone, while Vestal and Amy Morin both contributed four to allowing Rensselaer to take the 27-21 lead into the half.
“We did not say anything but it was understood that we all had to pick our games with Kaitlyn and Kristen on the bench,” Ferrari said. “We just had to all pick our offensive game.”
In the second half, the Red Hawks continued to smother the Golden Knights with suffocating defense, and with Saunders and Kaczynski back on the floor, Rensselaer began to pull away.
Rensselaer went 40 percent from the field in the second half and went 14-15 at the free throw line, which helped create the 20-point victory.
Ferrari, who was named UCAA Forward of the Week for the first time this season, finished with a team high 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Vestal nearly missed a triple-double, scoring 16 points, grabbing nine boards, and blocking eight shots. Saunders added 17 points despite being in constant foul trouble.
“We played as a team this weekend,” Ferrari said. “Last time we played St. Lawrence and Clarkson, we played like individuals, but this weekend we played like a team.”
This weekend’s wins were crucial in giving Red Hawks a chance of catching the first place, Dutchwomen of Union, who are undefeated in UCAA play.
“We will be ready for Union,” Ferrari said. “But we don’t want to overlook William Smith or Hamilton. Both are good teams and we will have to play well to win.”
Rensselaer travels next to Geneva, N.Y. to face William Smith on Friday before rounding out the UCAA road trip against Hamilton at 2 pm on Saturday afternoon.
