By COLLEEN PEGHER
Sports Editor
[email protected]
After a slow start, the Gators would come within one at the half in their matchup against the Blue Devils of SUNY Fredonia, but the opposition would quickly respond with a run early in the second half to pull ahead for a 77-62 victory over Allegheny.
“We were beaten by a better team that night and must refocus ourselves for our next game,” Head Coach Kate Constanzo said.
The Gators were down from the start, until five points from junior Ann Ryan tied the score at nine. Ryan and the Gators led the game 21-19 after a jumper from Daryl Ford, ’13, but the lead would not last long. The Blue Devils and the Gators traded scores for the remainder of the half.
“We needed to get defensive stops,” said junior Heidi Goeller. “But they kept converting on open shots.”
In the second half, the Gators came out looking to pull ahead, but an 11-point run by the Blue Devils would put them ahead by eight. Despite the efforts of the squad, they never caught up to Fredonia.
Defense was a struggle for the Gators throughout the game, which ended as a a 15 point victory for the Blue Devils.
On the offensive end, the Gators kept pace with the Blue Devils for much of the contest. However, Costanzo believes further improvement is still needed on the offensive side of the ball.
“We need to take better care of the basketball and keep our turnovers under 15 per game,” said Costanzo.
Players cited a lack of focus as another reason for the team’s struggles.
“We didn’t come out with the fire necessary to win and we weren’t playing well as a team,” said Goeller. “They are a team we should have easily beaten, and if we were to play them again, they wouldn’t have a chance.”
“I think we’re starting to realize and learn the importance of maintaining our focus on the bus, in the locker room and during the warm up to give us a mental edge over home teams,” Restich said.
The team also found several positive aspects of their performance, such as freshman Kendall Hoffman defensive play, finishing the game with two blocks underneath.
“We had some new players step up, do well defensively and score,” said Constanzo.
The Gators hope that strong play off the bench will continue to help them in the games ahead.
“We know we are a good team, and other teams know it too,” said Goeller. “We win and lose as a team, and every last player in the game and on the bench plays an integral role in the game and on the bench plays an integral role in contributing to that.”
The Gators will face off against Oberlin at home Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
