The women’s basketball team opened up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play for the season by dropping two of their first three conference games.
First the Hawks fell to SUNY Geneseo by a score 66-47 on Friday, Dec. 2. The last time these two teams met was in last season’s SUNYAC Championship game, which New Paltz won by a score of 65-52 on Feb. 27. Hawks first-year guard Kei-Tavia Glover led the team with 11 points off the bench and added six rebounds to her night.
“Honestly we didn’t really do anything well against Geneseo,” Hawks fourth-year co-captain Kit Small said. “We did some things okay, but the energy and effort offensively and defensively wasn’t there.”
The Hawks bounced back the following day with a 66-45 victory over The College at Brockport. New Paltz started the game on an 8-0 run and never looked back, as the Golden Eagles never led in the contest. Fourth-year co-captain Courtney Irby notched her second double-double of the season with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Fourth-year guard and forward Morgan Roessler recorded 12 points, as did Small who ranks seventh in the SUNYAC with 13.6 points per game.
“It was huge getting our first conference win over Brockport, because we were all disappointed with the loss against Geneseo,” Irby said. “We knew that we had to come out strong and finish strong against Brockport and that’s just what we did. When we execute and do things right then we are a dominant basketball team and that is what determined our win against Brockport.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 the Hawks lost to SUNY Cortland by a score of 70-64. The game remained fairly close throughout, as neither team led by more than 10 at any point in the contest.
Irby led the Hawks with 19 points and 12 rebounds, her third double-double of the season. Small recorded 11 points, while second-year guard Lindsay Bettke notched 10 points. Roessler tallied nine points with 10 rebounds.
“We’re not playing very well,” Hawks head coach Jamie Seward said. “We’re beating ourselves in a lot of ways. When we defend well, we can’t make shots. When we makes shots, we don’t defend well. It’s been a struggle thus far.”
The team currently has an overall record of 4-4 and will next face SUNY Oneonta in a conference matchup on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. The game will also act as a Catskill Cup match, with the Red Dragons currently leading the standings 11-8. The men’s basketball team will host their own Catskill Cup game that same day at 2 p.m.
New Paltz will then host Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. The Hawks and Knights faced each other last season, with New Paltz pulling out a 66-57 victory on the road.
That will be the team’s last game until they continue SUNYAC play on the road against SUNY Cortland on Jan. 6.
“I think that the winter break will be a good time for our team,” Small said. “We are struggling shooting the ball and we have a group of girls who are definitely going to work over the break. So I think we will all accomplish some things individually during that time.”
Hawks Highlights
• Fourth-year co-captain Courtney Irby recorded a double-double in back-To-back games (Dec. 3 And Dec. 6)
• First-year guard Kei-Tavia Glover scored a career-high 11 points against SUNY Geneseo on Dec. 2
Upcoming Games
• Saturday, Dec. 10 vs. SUNY Oneonta at the Hawk Center, 4 p.m. (SUNYAC)
• Tuesday, Dec. 13 vs. Mount Saint Mary College at the Hawk Center, 7:30 p.m.