Women’s Notebook
By Stephen Zerdelian
To fully understand the current Southern New Hampshire team, it is helpful to look back to last season. The 2021-’22 Penmen enjoyed their best campaign in three decades, going 21-7 and earning the #1 seed in the NCAA East Regional. But the team wasn’t whole once they got there – season-ending injuries to a pair of All-Northeast-10 players, Meg Knollmeyer and Gyanna Russell, in the penultimate game of the regular season wrecked the depth and explosiveness of the unit, and they lost in the opening NCAA round.
With the disappointment of how the 2021-’22 season ended still fresh, SNHU came into this one with a different mindset. Head coach Karen Pinkos is certain that the success the team enjoyed last winter has carried over, although the parameters have shifted.
“No doubt, last season helps us, we want to play at the highest level every night,” said the former University of New Hampshire player. “The challenge is when you start winning, you become the hunted, whereas a few years ago, we were hunting other teams. Winning becomes a habit and builds a culture and kids want to win. We’ve always been respected and competitive but now we feel we have turned the corner and become a more competitive program. This team is a joy to coach, and we try to have fun (while embracing the challenge).”
Pinkos, in her 18th season on the Penmen bench, took a pragmatic approach to the season as it grew closer and continues to try and keep things easily digestible for her team.
“Honestly, we go one game at a time. This league (NE10) is so good! I just had a conversation with our players about this in practice recently,” she admitted. “We are excited about the first half and where we are, however, we have a lot of great teams to face in the second half. We know we’ll be forced to play at a higher level each night, stay consistent and stay out of foul trouble (to be successful). In this league, any team can beat anyone on any given day, and we talk about each player playing with confidence regardless of role.”
SNHU boasts a number returning starters with explosive wing Adriana Timberlake (17.9 ppg, 3.2 apg), a 5-7 senior, leading the attack. Junior Jess Knight (16.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg) may be the most improved player in the league – the 6-2 junior is flourishing with starters minutes and is a handful in the paint. Ariana Koivisto (a 5-11 senior who was a starter last season; 8.0 ppg) is SNHU’s glue-guy, with Mia Roy (7.1 ppg; 5-7 graduate student from Bates College) and Jenna Roche (the 5-8 senior is also a returning starter, adding 7.6 rpg) lending experience and quality. Roche has missed time with injury, but 5-6 junior Julia Colby has taken up her backcourt mantle and shined. Depth comes from freshmen Meghan Gordon (5-11) and Emily Greenwood (6-0) along with sophomores Megan Deans (5-11) and Sydnie DeVries (5-10).
“I’m surprised how well our team played together so early,” Pinkos added. “Normally it takes a few games to play at the level we are playing at. Timberlake and Knight are leading the team and the other players are the ones stepping up. Some of the players with less experience really contribute well.”
Self-assessment is an ongoing matter for Pinkos and her staff.
“As far as our weakness, we need to shoot the three-pointer better. We have some really good shooters, but we feel our shot selection is not the best and therefore our percentage is lower than where we want it to be. Our strength is our transition game. We have some speed in the backcourt and when we run, the players enjoy it more,” she concluded.
Overall, the 12-2 Penmen are right in the thick of the NE10 race (8-1 in league play) and riding a ten-game win streak, the program’s longest run.
“We are off to a great start. In the beginning of the season, we really didn’t know what to expect, especially with two NE10 All-Stars (Knollmeyer and Russell) graduating,” offered Pinkos. “Last year, we had 14 players on the roster and this year, we have only 12, with only five returning players. It was a slow preseason with a lot of teaching, and we weren’t sure how quickly our younger players would develop.”
“We opened the season with a non-conference win against our crosstown rival Saint Anselm, and then we lost to a good Dominican team in overtime,” said Pinkos. “In the Saint Anselm game, we basically played seven players and the next day we were tired. I should have played a few more players in that game but I just wasn’t sure our younger players were ready to play in these types of close games. In hindsight, the only way to get experience is to provide opportunity. Now, we are playing 8-10 players each night and the younger players are getting quality minutes. We have a deeper roster than opening weekend. Since then, they are contributing in ways we didn’t expect so soon. We have our core starters and then each game, one or two role players are stepping up and it’s been awesome! We continue to improve and are playing well as a team.”
SNHU has done well in close games (8-1 in single-digit games) and even their losses (Dominican in OT and a 63-51 setback to NE10 rival Bentley right before Thanksgiving) reflect well on the team. The ‘everyone-contributes’ ethos permeates the program and has helped the Penmen build upon their excellent 2021-’22 season.
“Our biggest message (as coaches) to our team is that everyone can contribute, and each game is different based on what we need,” emphasized Pinkos. “We can play a small lineup or a taller lineup. Our players remain unselfish as our goal is to get better, trust the process and win one game at a time. Knight is tough inside and is attracting double teams, so she must recognize when this is happening and not to force things. Timberlake is a very quick player who can get to the rim but is also a dangerous three-point shooter, which makes her tough to defend.”
“Our defensive specialists are Koivisto and Roy,” continued the head coach. “These two bring great energy on the court and never take plays off. Roche should be back soon from an injury (she has played in seven games) and once she does, we will add more depth to the backcourt. Colby, Greenwood, DeVries, Gordon and Deans are still developing and continue to make solid contributions, and when two or more of them step up in a variety of ways, we become a tougher team to play.”
Navigating the NE10 is as treacherous as usual with SNHU currently jousting for first place with Assumption and Bentley. Add in the region’s balance and you have an open path for honors come March.
“The NE10 is tough and so are the other leagues,” confirmed Pinkos. “There is more balance in the region, and it becomes a battle no matter who you play. Division II basketball has so many great players and this region is loaded with talent.”
As the Penmen attempt to keep their place among the regional elite, they will undoubtedly be tested and continue to learn about themselves. Winning tends to beget winning, so if opposing teams ignore this revamped version of the Penmen, it will be at their peril.
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By both the calendar and games played, we have basically hit the half-way mark of the 2022-’23 season. To me, this is enough time to assess where the three respective conferences are in terms of strata and possible post season hopes. Let’s roll alphabetically, starting with the CACC.
The obvious first tier in the CACC is Jefferson. I am going to put Holy Family there, too, since the Tigers have proven to be the best of the rest and are giving the Rams a real challenge for the South Division crown. Jefferson dropped a tight non-league game at St. Thomas Aquinas last week, 74-68, despite making 10-21 from three-point territory. Despite the setback, I still think the Rams are the class of the league. Holy Family is on a six-game win streak and look like they have staying power. These two clubs meet twice later on this winter, and those games will be must-watch.
The next tier in the CACC has North Division leaders Dominican and Post, along with Chestnut Hill in the South. The first two are set to contest a race that might boil down to their February 22 meeting. CHC, meanwhile, has disappointed but they are clearly the third best team in the South and have enough time to make a run into NCAA conversations.
I’ll put a trio of North teams in the next segment, Felician, Bridgeport and Caldwell, and one South outfit, Goldey-Beacom. One of the North teams will miss out on a playoff berth, I think, but all have been dangerous teams. GBC looks likely to be the fourth seed from the South, with a puncher’s chance of an upset. Filling out the CACC are Alliance, Bloomfield, Georgian Court and Wilmington, who all seem destined to miss the playoffs.
The top shelf in the ECC consists of Daemen, St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy, not in any specific order. They stand as the teams likely to battle for the ECC tourney byes (top two seeds) and head right into the league semifinals, but a lack of quality wins across the board means the automatic bid which accompanies the ECC title is critical.
Two dangerous threats loom right below the top two in the ECC, UDC and Queens. Both have the capacity to beat anyone at any time, but consistency is missing. Molloy, the College of Staten Island, D’Youville and Roberts Wesleyan will joust for the final playoff places and a shot to shock the loop.
As usual, the NE10 is loaded with quality teams. The top layer right now has Southern New Hampshire, Bentley and Assumption battling for the top spot. All look solid and will take some catching. Underneath them are a pair of teams that could easily morph into league and regional tournament threats, Southern Connecticut and Le Moyne. Both look like teams that can make a run at the NE10 crown and it’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out in the next six weeks.
The middle-ground in the NE10 has improved this season, so look for one of Pace, AIC, the College of Saint Rose or Adelphi to sneak into the group ahead of them. There is a lot to like about their development this season and odds are, one will get hot. On the fringe of this batch of teams are New Haven, Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce, clubs with ability but not consistency. St. Michael’s seems locked into last place yet on the evidence of their near upset of Southern New Hampshire (61-53 last weekend), they can’t be dismissed out of hand.
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Notables…
January 4… Briana Lee of Felician became the all-time Golden Falcons rebound leader with 17 boards in their victory over Alliance… Morgan Sterner had a 20-point explosion for Chestnut Hill and the Griffins out-rebounded Goldey-Beacom, 57-27, in their 79-52 win… Erin Leary (24 points, 9 boards) and Sarah Ericson (17 points, 12 boards, 4-5 3FG) stated their case for best duo in the region as St. Thomas Aquinas shaded Jefferson, 74-68… Lytoya Baker (13 points, 14 boards, 4 steals) sure fills a stat sheet for Le Moyne, eh? She had a nice game in their 75-51 win over St. Michael’s… Caldwell ripped of a 22-10 fourth period to drop Bridgeport, 77-65… Ariana Stockinger had a career game against Adelphi, racking up 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 70-54 win… Latiavia Jackson sank a trey for UDC to put them ahead for good with 1:26 left during a 56-54 victory at Salem (WV)… Holy Family shot 62.5% and scored 36 points off turnovers in their triumph at Wilmington… Dominican claimed a thrilling 2OT win at New Haven, 87-84, thanks to an 8-1 run to close the second extra session. Tanasha Mills (23 points) sent the game to the second OT with a bucket at the :17 mark while UNH’s Gabrielle Stickle canned a triple at the regulation horn to send the game to overtime in the first place.
January 6… Stella Mollica’s 18 points helped propel D’Youville to a 50-44 ECC win at UDC… Mercy’s defense held Roberts Wesleyan to 23 points through three periods and scoreless from long range (0-10 3FG) in their 54-46 success.
January 7… Emily Chmiel (19 points in 20 minutes) keyed Chestnut Hill to a 71-59 win at Post… Jefferson went 1-4 from three-point land but 25-31 at the foul line to repel Bridgeport, 68-52… Ines Gimenez Monserrat netted 23 points and grabbed six boards in Franklin Pierce’s 69-63 non-league win over Queens… Pace made 12-27 from deep and 9-22 from two-point land in their 58-54 win at Le Moyne. The Dolphins, meanwhile, shot just 3-18 from long range in the setback…Gabby Turco potted 23 points, overshadowing Aurora Deshaises’ 21-point, 7-rebound effort, in Saint Anselm’s 60-51 decision over New Haven… Ella Thomson had a 16-point, 8-board, 5-assist gem against AIC to lead Bentley to a 64-42 win… Kaelah Carter and Makaela Johnson both scored 21 points to lift Saint Rose to an 81-71 victory over Adelphi. The Panthers received 28 points from Ty’Zhea Hawkins but still fell short.
January 8… Mercy’s defense again shined as they beat Bloomfield, 60-46, holding the Bears to 1-16 from three-point land… Alliance exploded in the second quarter of their 60-41 victory against Georgian Court, out-scoring the Lions, 27-4… Karol Jarusevicuite (16 points) and Sarah Ericson (15 points, 12 boards) led St. Thomas Aquinas to a comeback win over Roberts Wesleyan, 68-59. The Spartans were down 43-31 at the half but rallied to get the job done… D’Youville came up with an 18-0 run to start the second period en route to a 57-52 win at Staten Island.
January 10… Zoe Amalbert (19 points, 3-3 3FG) and Isabella Santoro (15 points, 12 rebounds; 6-7 FG, 3-4 3FG) combined to fuel Southern Connecticut’s 67-48 decision at St. Michael’s… Amani Melendez drilled a decisive trey with :04 left to spark Bridgeport to a 62-61 overtime win against Felician, capping a comeback that saw UB down 44-32 to start the fourth quarter… AIC restricted Pace to 26% from the floor and rode Kayla Robinson (16 points) and Taylor Tomlinson (14 points) to a 49-45 win… Savawan Hughes (21 points, 10 boards) fronted Georgian Court in a 54-51 victory at Wilmington, who received a nice game from Fatou Ndao (18 points, 12 caroms)… Adriana Timberlake’s 24 points keyed Southern New Hampshire in a 64-59 win against New Haven… Three free throws from Tanasha Mills (16 points) in the last minute helped Dominican avert an upset against Bloomfield, 56-55… Holy Family held Saint Anselm scoreless from deep (0-11 3FG) and dominated the glass (42-28) on the way to a 72-57 non-league win… Adelphi dropped in 12-23 from long-distance and had five players in double digits, led by Ty’Zhea Hawkins (18 points), as they beat Franklin Pierce, 75-63… Post scored more points in the first half than Caldwell did all night (41) during their 83-38 rout.
January 11… Bentley handed Assumption its second loss, 76-48, behind Ciara Norman’s career-best 16 points. She was one of four Falcons in double digits… Mercy’s Katie Wall delivered a fine performance (23 points, 8 boards) to lead the Mavericks to a key ECC win at St. Thomas Aquinas, 64-59, their first victory in Sparkill since 1985. Mercy scored the last eight points of the night in the final 38 seconds to tip the balance and pull even with the Spartans for second place in the loop… Chestnut Hill prevailed over Wilmington, 53-39, despite not having a single player register more than nine points. Ten different players did score for the Griffins, however, and they led 31-7 at the half on the way to victory.
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