The Women’s basketball team opened up their season with split matchups this weekend at the Emmanuel Tournament in Boston, Massachusetts.
On Saturday, Nov. 15 the Hawks fell to William Patterson University 69-59. Third-year guard Goldie Harrison led the team in points, scoring 13 total throughout the game. Just behind Harrison in points was third-year forward/guard Colleen Ames, notching 12 points. The Hawks were outscored 30-25 in the first half and 39-34 in the second.
“We certainly would have liked to get the win, but we did take something out of it that we were able to move forward from and put out a better performance there on Sunday,” Head Coach Jamie Seward said.
The following day, the team came back with a 61- 40 win over Mount Saint Mary College. Second-year forward Courtney Irby led the team in offense, scoring a game-high 12 points in the first 18 minutes of the game. Second-year guard/forward Kit Small grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, earning her election to the All-Tournament Team.
“I think what helped us come back on Sunday after our loss was that we had three key things in mind: to rebound, talk on defense and lastly give it our all on the court,” Irby said. “We are looking to keep up the intensity and to continue to push ourselves out on the court, because we have fresh bodies that can contribute and help us in the game.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 19 the Hawks took a last minute loss in their third matchup of the season to their host Vassar College. Small was on top of offense with a total 11 points, two steals and five rebounds. Irby recorded eight points total for the game, while Harrison notched seven.
This season, half of the players on the roster are completely new to the team. Six first-years and two transfers have to adjust to the way the team operates, Seward said, which he will have to be patient with.
“I think the older kids have done a good job of initiating them not only into the team but also our way of doing things – so that’s helped to speed along the process,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to get all the kinks worked out and to get them fully integrated into our system and the way we want to play.”
Despite half of the team being new to collegiate basketball at New Paltz, Irby said that the newcomers have been doing well in keeping up with the team’s system as a whole.
“Half of our team is experienced with playing for New Paltz, and the other half is new,” Irby said. “Despite that, I feel they have grasped how we run things here and are prepared for anything that comes their way. I have never been so happy to be a part of a team – they are family to me and I know we will have a successful season.”
The Hawks hit the road again this weekend to compete in the two-game Wesleyan Tournament in Middletown, Connecticut with a record of 1-2. After this tournament, they have one more matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 25 before they begin a five-game block of SUNYAC play.
“We’ve got to learn from playing in games because we don’t have a lot of practice opportunities until after Thanksgiving,” Seward said. “We just want to continue to get a little bit better every day and take some things that went well and do them even better tomorrow and take some things that we struggled with and hone in on them. It’s just about taking it one day at a time, trying to get a little bit better today than we were yesterday.”
