Sports
Women’s basketball returns to .500 with second NESCAC win over Middlebury
By Will Kaback ’20
February 2, 2017
Tags sports
A 2-6 start to the second half of one’s season is certainly not ideal, but the women’s basketball team has shown they are capable of bouncing back from adversity. After dropping their first two contests of the new year, the team pulled off back-to-back victories, only to lose their next four as the regular season entered the home stretch. Now, however, they are winners of two straight games once again, including an impressive defeat of the 14-4 Middlebury College Panthers last Saturday. With only four games remaining on their schedule, all against conference opponents, the team’s newfound momentum will be tested. If the first three-quarters of their season is any indication, however, the team looks to be in a strong position heading into postseason play.
The team’s potent offensive attack rests on the shoulders of a junior, a sophomore, and two first-years, in that order. Lauren Getman ’18, Halie Serbent ’19, Carly O’Hern ’20 and Mackenzie Aldridge ’20 are the team’s top four scorers. Getman, a forward, leads the team with 10.2 points per game and brings a veteran presence to the court. Serbent, a guard-forward hybrid with a deft scoring touch, has shown the ability to blow open the game at any minute. In the recent win over Middlebury, Serbent led all scorers with 19 points and sparked a 13-2 run that put the Continentals ahead for good. It was just one of seven games this season where she has registered double digit points. First-years O’Hern and Aldridge have contributed 7.6 and 7.2 points per game, respectively, and should prove to be hallmarks of the program in future years. Aldridge, in particular, has adjusted seamlessly to the college level, starting 15 out of 17 games in her first season of collegiate play.
While much of the team’s scoring power is concentrated among four or five players, the rest of the team has provided equally vital contributions in other areas of the stat sheet. For instance, Samantha Srinivasan ’18 has proven to be an all-around player, compiling 6.4 points per game, a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game, and 0.9 steals per game. Srinivasan is the centerpiece of the team’s formidable rebounding force, which dominated Middlebury to the tune of a +8 rebound differential. In order to take down the tough conference foes that lie ahead, they’ll need to keep up that type of effort.
Additionally, captains Caroline Barrett ’17 and Kate Bushell ’17 are described by first-year player Camille Walter ’20 as “the ideal team leaders.” Walter says that Barrett “brings a lot of energy to our team and always keeps everyone laughing.” Meanwhile, Bushell is “a hard worker and always brings a spark to our team when she hits the court.” Leadership on and off the court from these two seniors will likely prove to be just as important as overall talent, and, as Walter indicates, both have been invaluable captains.
As the team enters the final weeks of the regular season, they will look to find consistency above all. After losing their first three, the Continentals flipped a switch and took off, winning five straight and going undefeated in December, capped off by a 91-52 drubbing of Cazenovia College on the road. But January saw a return to the up-and-down nature of their season. Two losses, two wins, then four losses, two wins. At 9-9, the team also sits at 2-4 in conference play, a mark which can go to .500 in a flash with wins over Bowdoin and Colby this weekend. Clearly, they are capable of great feats of offense and stifling defense, but the key will be harnessing those abilities that have only appeared in bursts thus far.
With that being said, the team remains in an enviable position. Despite some disappointing showings, they are still 9-9 and coming off a win over one of the NESCAC’s best. They’ve got four winnable games in the next two weeks, and strong showings in those contests could catapult them up the conference standings at season’s end. Furthermore, if they are able to harness the momentum from their current win streak and channel it into consistent play, their overall record will be merely an afterthought and they will be well-positioned for a deep run in the NESCAC playoffs. Walter says the win over Middlebury “was the highlight of the season thus far. They are a really good team but we worked hard and fought as a team to pull out the win.” That type of mentality breeds playoff success.
Hamilton has two key games this weekend as third-place Bowdoin and fourth-place Colby come to town. Two wins this weekend would put Hamilton, currently in ninth place, in prime position to make the playoffs. As Walter puts it, the goal for the rest of the season is to play “our best basketball.” All the ingredients are there. If the team is able to merge their talent, effort, and potential at this crucial moment, as they have shown the ability to do at points this season, don’t be surprised if you hear their name again in late-February in the NESCAC playoffs.