For the RPI women’s basketball team, this holiday season proved to be an important string of six games testing RPI’s endurance and toughness. Tournament play in Scranton, Penn., rounded out the month of December, but RPI was back in action in the new year with non-conference battles against Keene State and Middlebury, and finally, two Liberty League match-ups against Hamilton and William Smith.
In their first game of the Diversified Tournament, RPI took on 10th ranked Scranton. The Red Hawks struggled throughout the day, finding it very difficult to keep pace with the Lady Royals. They were behind 47-25 at the half, and things would only get worse as they lost by a final score of 87-50.
Bright spots for RPI were the strong play of freshman forward Elizabeth Barker, who had 10 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Tory Lyons, who chipped in nine points. However, the tandem of Taryn Mellody and Tiffaney Williams, scored 23 and 11 points, respectively, leading the Scranton onslaught.
The very next day the team looked to turn things around as they played Hood College in consolation play of the tournament. The Red Hawks bounced back and played soundly. The lead wavered early with RPI taking a 30-27 advantage into the intermission, but an all-important 11-3 run late in the contest propelled Head Coach John Greene’s team to the 76-62 victory.
Freshman Whitney Coleman led the way for the Red Hawks with a season-high 16 points in conjunction with three rebounds and four assists. Junior Kristi Baranowski grabbed 19 boards to go along with nine points, earning herself a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Danielle Gallagher of Hood College was the game’s high scorer with 21 points.
RPI would win two non-conference affiars over Keene State 66-62 and Middlebury 64-50, before the Red Hawks’ schedule would then take them on a short two-game road trip beginning in Clinton, N.Y., where the team took on Hamilton College. The Red Hawks continued their strong play and added to their win column as they defeated Hamilton by a margin of nine.
Junior Destany Eagles had a season best with fifteen points, five boards, two assists, and one steal. Baranowski added twelve points and eleven rebounds, while Lyons chipped in with 10 and eight.
Rensselaer’s four game win-streak would come to an end with a loss to William Smith. The Red Hawks played well enough to keep the game close as they went into halftime, but the Herons broke it open when play resumed, outscoring RPI by 17 points in the second half.
The Red Hawks shot 25.3 percent from the field, and hit only one of 18 three-point attempts. Coach Greene has often stated that the three-pointer can make a team’s success or be their downfall in any contest, and unfortunately in this game, it was the latter.
Stephanie Czajkowski tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead William Smith. Baranowski had 10 points and nine boards, both team highs, to lead RPI.
Over the holiday stretch the Red Hawks took four out of six games, and improved their overall record to 7-4 with a 1-1 mark in Liberty League play. This important run has left the team in a strong spot to contend with the best for the remainder of the season. The team seems to play extremely well when there is a total team effort with contributions from numerous players. Greene will undoubtedly maximize the chances for his team’s success through his rotations and build off the successful chemistry of his players.
The Red Hawks have looked very good as of late with their strong play, and will return to action Friday night at 6:00 in a Liberty League battle with Clarkson. Saturday afternoon at 2 pm RPI will wrap up a weekend of conference play with a game against St. Lawrence. Both games will be played in Robison Gym.
