Women's Notebook - Under The Radar; Top Performances; Defense!

Women’s Notebook – Under the Radar, Top Performances and Defense!

By Stephen Zerdelian

We are officially into the dog days of the season. It’s about at the halfway point but not quite close enough to the post season to get overly excited. Yet, this in-between period is critical in positioning for what will come later.

It’s easy to see who is playing well at a quick glance – the likes of Jefferson, Bentley, Daemen, Assumption, etc., were expected to be among the best in their respective leagues and so it’s not surprising to see them racking up winning streaks. But what about the under-the-radar clubs, ones that are quietly gaining ground and working their way up their respective conference standings?

One such team is Chestnut Hill. A bland 5-5 start had the Griffins in the middle of the CACC South and seemingly consigned to 3^rd place in the division, but a seven-game upturn, including four CACC wins, has flipped the script for Reggie Daniels’ outfit.

The stretch began innocently on December 18 with a win against overmatched Penn State-Abington, 96-44. Bridie McCann (25 points) and Caraline Herb (21 points), two newcomers to CHC that have taken center stage, led the attack and the Griffins dominated the glass, 56-29. After the holiday break, they beat up Goldey-Beacom, 84-61, on January 3^rd. Caleigh Edwards (24 points, 6 boards, 4 assists) was the top option in that win while McCann (18 points) and Emily Sekerak (18 points, 11 boards) shined against Felician a few days later in a 65-50 success.

With momentum, the Griffins then edged local rival Holy Family, 56-52, as Edwards (13 points) went 5-6 at the line in the last 15 seconds to clinch a key league victory. Avery White (14 points, 5 helpers) was also vital in a clash that saw 18 ties and 26 lead changes. CHC then stepped out of CACC play to earn a 64-52 decision over St. Thomas Aquinas with McCann (25 points; 10-14 FG, 5-7 3FG) and White (15 points) doing the work. The streak grew to six in a row thanks to a 72-46 CACC win over Bridgeport on January 13 as four players registered double digits and the Griffins dominated in the first half (44-18 at the break). Most recently, (Wednesday), CHC slipped past Mercy, 49-43, with Sekerak (13 points, 7 rebounds) leading the way in a low-scoring tilt which saw the teams combine to shoot 1-20 outside the arc (CHC 0-8 3FG).

Southern Connecticut State is another squad which began the season with a thud, going 2-5 in their first seven games. Since then, Kate Lynch’s squad has made up ground in the Northeast10 standings, going 6-3 and picking up impressive wins along the way. Delaney Haines (15 points) helped kick-start the run, leading the Owls to 57-47 win at Pace on December 5^th. Four days later Katie Williamson registered 19 points in a victory over state rival Bridgeport, 57-50. Right before the holiday break, Makenzie Helms’ basket with 56 seconds left lifted the Owls to a 60-59 win at Molloy.

Once SCSU came back from the hiatus, they lost a close one to Dominican, 78-75, despite a strong outing from Williamson (18 points). Helms (19 points) helped SCSU get back on the winning track as they beat Saint Anselm, 62-42. January 6^th saw the Owls defeat St. Michael’s, 65-50, behind another stellar Williamson (12 points, 18 boards) effort, and SCSU rallied to win at New Haven a few days later, scoring the last seven points to prevail, 59-56. Rheyna Steinauer (19 points, 9 rebounds) was the key element in that game for the Owls, who dropped a hard-fought 65-56 game at Southern New Hampshire last weekend and fell to powerful Bentley on Wednesday, 66-47.

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There have been a few notable performances over the last week or so – let’s shine the light on the deserving candidates!

Wednesday, January 10 - Southern New Hampshire’s Adriana Timberlake (21 points) led her team to a 69-49 win over AIC, making 4-5 from three-point land to bolster her point total. In the process, Timberlake became the Penmen’s all-time leading three-point shooter… Tatum Forbes (23 points) scored more than half of her team’s points for Saint Anselm, but the Hawks lost 50-43 at the College of Saint Rose… Colette Mulderig racked up 22 points and hauled in 8 boards to help Franklin Pierce drop Adelphi, 68-59.

Friday, January 12 – Trinity Hudson (19 points, 18 boards) and Jahnel Lewis (25 points) had big games for Molloy and Caldwell, respectively, in the Lions 68-64 non-league victory.

Saturday, January 13 – Felician had a sensational defensive half against Wilmington, holding the Wildcats to just five points and 0-24 shooting from the floor in the opening half. As a result, the Golden Falcons led 44-5 at the break enroute to an easy 78-32 decision… Jess Knight (22 points, 13 boards, 6 blocks) was immense for SNHU in their 65-56 win over Southern Connecticut. The Penmen scored the final 14 points of the contest over a 2:52 span to nail down the win.

Sunday, January 14 – Cayla Howard (26 points and 10 rebounds) led the way for Dominican in their 81-66 victory over Georgian Court… Sam Yencha’s 21-point, 11-rebound stat line keyed Jefferson to a 72-50 win against Caldwell… Roberts Wesleyan won a wild ECC overtime game against St. Thomas Aquinas in Rochester, 82-78. Georgia Haverlock (26 points; 5-8 from 3-point land) netted a trey in OT to snap the game’s last tie with 35 seconds left (78-75). That came after teammate Madalyn Mahoney drilled a triple with five ticks left in regulation to send the clash to the extra session at 64-each. The outcome marred a fabulous game from Spartan Sarah Ericson (27 points, 12 rebounds) and means RWC has won three of its last four games.

Tuesday, January 16 – Briana Lee collected 21 points, 10 boards and five steals to spark AIC to a 62-52 win against St. Michael’s, shooting 8-9 from the floor and 5-7 at the line in the process.

Wednesday, January 17 – Bridgeport beat Bloomfield, 67-50, with the dynamic interior duo of Stephanie McBride (14 points, 16 boards) and Shakira Hester (18 points, 12 rebounds) leading the charge. UB had all five starters register between 10-18 points in their balanced victory… Destiny Ryles netted 19 points as UDC snapped a five-game slide with a 69-57 decision over Holy Family… Lewis (26 points) and Lucy Coogan (22 points) combined for 48 points but Caldwell lost at Post, 93-80, who had Maya Klein (22 points) and Taina Pagan (16 points, 12 boards) at the top of their stat sheet… Haley Meinel (22 points, 6 steals) and Cassie Murphy kept Jefferson rolling in the CACC South in a 73-63 win against Goldey-Beacom… Imani Gillette (27 points, 22 boards; 10-23 FG, 7-10 FT) played 24 impactful minutes for Georgian Court in their 88-70 victory against Wilmington.

Since when did the East Region turn into such a defensive monster? Eight of the top 20 teams in the nation in scoring defense hail from this humble area, and if we expand a little further, the region contributes thirteen teams in the top 50. As it stands (through last night), the College of Saint Rose (45.1 ppg allowed) leads Division II in the category with Assumption (#3, 51.9), Bentley (#5, 52.6), Holy Family (#7, 53.6) and Chestnut Hill (#8, 54.0) also in the top 10. New Haven (#12, 54.7), Pace (#13, 54.8) and Jefferson (#20, 56.3) joining them in the top 20. Add in Franklin Pierce (#26, 57.1), Southern Connecticut (#44, 58.4), Southern New Hampshire (#48, 58.9), Mercy (#49, 59.0) and Daemen (#48, 59.0) and it’s clear – if you can score against almost anyone in the region, you’ll have to earn it.

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