It was a very busy start to the season for the RPI women’s basketball team which played in five games—two tournaments as well as its home opener at Robison Gym—and ultimately culminated at 2-3 as the holiday break came to an end.
The Red Hawks got the season started on November 16 competing in the Salem State Tip-Off with a first round match-up against Roger Williams University. RPI looked very strong in the first half. Once again the team boasts a solid all-around lineup and does not rely on one player to carry the offensive load. The Rensselaer women’s largest lead of the frame was 11, and while that margin fluctuated, that would be the advantage headed into halftime.
The second half proved to be the same story as the Red Hawks clung to a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest. The RPI women came away victorious 73-59. Senior captain Missy Jackman was the leading scorer with 14 points. Junior Whitney Coleman was right behind her with 13, and classmates Elizabeth Barker and Caitlyn Charest both contributed with 11 points each. Junior Jacqueline Criss was the high-scorer for the RMU Hawks with 19 points.
Rensselaer then advanced to the Tip-Off Tournament Championship game against Salem State College on November 17. The Vikings held the lead for most of the first half, though RPI remained close throughout. However, with 29 seconds left in the half, Rensselaer took its first lead a 33-30 advantage at the break.
When play resumed, the action continued throughout the second half. Salem State regained the lead at the 16:21 mark 39-38, and their largest lead would be six at one point. The Red Hawks, though, stormed back to tie the game at 52 with just less than eight minutes left in the game.
RPI grabbed the lead once more, but the Vikings took the wind out of Rensselaer’s sails when they snagged a 61-60 lead at the 1:36 mark, and would not relinquish the advantage for the rest of the game. The Red Hawks ultimately fell by a final score of 64-60, finishing second in the tournament. Danielle Jenkins was the Vikings’ high scorer with 14 points and Jakoya Watkins added 13. RPI was paced by junior Elizabeth Barker who had 21 points and 10 boards.
The Rensselaer women then had a game with SUNY Oswego on November 20 before their next tournament. The Red Hawks wound up losing 66-52. The key stat on the day was 29 RPI turnovers, which would make it virtually impossible for any team to win.
Rensselaer dug a significant hole for themselves as they were behind 36-18 at halftime. Despite rallying with a strong second half and outscoring the Lakers 34-30, the deficit was too much to overcome as the Red Hawks dropped the contest. Oswego’s senior Sarah Lombard was the game’s high scorer with 18 points. Senior Tory Lyons scored 16 points and had eight rebounds for RPI. Barker chipped in with nine and nine.
The Red Hawks hit the court again, this time in the Rochester Institute of Technology Thanksgiving Tournament on November 25. Their first-round match up was with SUNY Brockport. The game turned out to be another hard-fought battle, but difficult loss for Rensselaer.
The Golden Eagles were sluggish in the first half, shooting just 26.5 percent from the field. Junior Brenlyn Campbell though kept her team close with 10 points in the opening frame, though, as RPI held only a 26-21, at the break.
The game’s outcome came down to the final four minutes of play. The Red Hawks clung to a 54-52 lead at the 4:09 mark, but quickly saw things take a turn for the worse. Brockport’s Kim Schon played spoiler, hitting a jumper, and then consecutive lay-ups to give her team a three-point lead with 2:30 left on the clock.
Rensselaer fought to the end, as a pair of three-pointers from Jackman and Charest put the women down one, 62-61, with 23 seconds left in the game. RPI had an opportunity after a the Golden Eagles missed the first free throw of a one-and-one, but the Red Hawks unfortunately turned it over with seven seconds remaining, losing by a final score of 64-61.
A final task for Rensselaer was a consolation game in the RIT Tournament. This time, the women would square off with the tournament’s hosting Tigers.
RPI shot an astounding 62.5 percent from the field, held a 21-13 advantage in rebounding, and used a 21-4 run at the end of the first half to take a 48-26 lead into halftime. The second half was more of the same. Rensselaer went up by as much as 31, and was a force to be reckoned with on this day. The women cruised to an 87-60 victory, improving to 2-3 on the season.
Jackman led all scorers, netting 27 points while shooting an impressive 11-16 from the field. She also added eight assists. Barker was in the action again with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
While the women begin the year 2-3, there is much they can take from their first few games. “Despite the record, I think we have had a good start to the season. We have been in every game and have had different people step up in each game,” said Jackman. She also went on to say, “We are playing very good teams, so these games are preparing us well for our conference play. I’m really happy with the way our team has come together and as long as we minimize our turnovers and take care of the ball, we should be in every game no matter what team we are playing.”
RPI will return to action on Thursday when they hit the road to take on Mt. Holyoke at 7 pm.
