The College’s women’s basketball team tied its record at 1-1 at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at York College, P.A. on Sunday, Nov. 16. The Lions defeated Cazenovia College, 88-52, in the consolation game.
This is the first time that the Lions played in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. They previously played in the White Rose City Classic in 2010.
“Being part of a Coaches vs. Cancer is always a rewarding experience,” senior guard Kelly Coughlin said. “It’s a reminder that we have the privilege to be playing the game we love when some have much tougher battles to face. It’s always nice seeing teams and fans wearing pink to show their support.”
Both Coughlin and junior guard Angelica Esposito led the Lions attack with 15 points each.
Senior forward Jess Goldbach added 14 points. Sophomore guard Kim Dana came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points, while freshman Cindy Napolitano contributed nine points.
“We are a team where many different people can score for us in each game,” Goldbach said. “(Sunday) we did a great job at sharing the ball and moving the ball inside, outside and around their zone. This allowed our shooters to be open outside and knock down shots.”
Cazenovia had only one player in double figures, as Mary Salo scored 12 points. Junior Erin O’Malley added nine points, while freshman Megan Plahanski had seven points in her college debut.
The Lions led by as much as 36 points in the second half. They had 30 points in the paint and scored 30 points off turnovers.
“We mix up our defenses during the game to keep the other team from being too comfortable,” Goldbach said. “So our defensive stops helped us to push the ball forward and get some easy baskets at the other end.”
The Wildcats only had eight points off of turnovers and 22 points in the paint.
The Lions led 12-9 before going on a 17-0 run to make it 29-9 with 6:36 left. At halftime, the College led 41-27.
Both teams lost on Saturday, Nov. 15, in the tournament, as the Lions lost to Ursinus College, while Cazenovia College lost to host York College. The College lost 63-52 to Ursinus on Saturday afternoon.
Coughlin led the Lions with 19 points. Fellow senior forward Jessica Goldbach added 11 points, and sophomore guard Kim Dana was a bucket away from being the third in double figures with eight points.
“I was able to score 19 points because my shot felt natural, meaning I wasn’t thinking about it, and this was because my teammates were giving me great passes and setting hard screens,” Coughlin said. “We worked the ball in and out of the paint a lot, and I was able get to an open spot to shoot. As much as scoring can feel great and can fuel the offense, I’d take a win with scores across the board any day instead of scoring a ton of points in a loss.”
Junior forward Jessica Porada led the Bears with 17 points. Sophomore guard Gianna Pownall added 14 points, while junior guard Alyssa Polimeni and junior forward Caroline Shamrock contributed 10 points each.
Ursinus had 28 points in the paint and 20 points off of turnovers. They also had 15 bench points and 10-second chance points.
The Lions were held to 18 points in the paint and eight points off of turnovers with 13 bench points and 10-second chance points.
“Turnovers mean empty possessions, and that’s how a team can lose a lead or extend a gap when they’re losing,” Coughlin said. “I think turnovers hurt us because it allowed Ursinus to do what they want, which is run up the floor and push ahead in transition. Limiting our turnovers is key for maintaining our confidence and having more opportunities for time of possession to run our offense.”
The Lions led by five at halftime, 30-25. They increased the lead to 36-29 before the Bears used a 22-11 run in the final 15 minutes to win.
