A challenging season came to a close on Saturday for the UR women’s basketball team. Though their 16-11 season ended earlier than they had hoped, the team has a lot to be proud of with their incredibly competitive schedule.
UR finished the season in the semifinals of the Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference Upstate New York Championships, losing to Union College, 64-57.
Earlier last week, UR hosted Utica College in the opening round of the ECAC Championships. In their final appearance at the Palestra this season, the third-seeded Yellowjackets rolled over the sixth-seeded Utica College Pioneers, 67-44.
UR pounded the boards, bringing down a total of 51 rebounds – 17 more than Utica. Senior Kelly Wescott led UR in rebounding with nine boards and eight points.
The Yellowjackets also had a solid perimeter game, shooting 42.1 percent from behind the arc. Junior sharp-shooter Jessie Graham dropped another five three-pointers against Utica. Graham led all scorers with 18 points and had six rebounds. Sophomore Danielle Muller followed Graham in scoring with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
UR forced 23 Utica turnovers and took advantage of the opportunities, converting their defensive hustle into 21 points off turnovers. Sophomore Emily Bango’s heads-up play and quick hands got her eight assists and six steals to go along with her seven points.
UR’s tough play advanced them into the semi-finals of the ECAC’s, where they faced Union College at St. John Fisher College.
With five instances of a tied score and eight lead changes, it was a hard-fought match for the Yellowjackets.
UR held a small lead for the majority of the first half – the greatest lead came with a layup from sophomore Emily Lyons at the 12:17 minute mark, bringing the score to 15-10. The back-and-forth play continued until a Utica layup ended the half, sending UR into the break down 29-27.
Utica only had a slight advantage with a 38.2 shooting percentage compared to UR’s 37.5 percent. However, in the second half, UR faced a shooting slump of only 29 percent and was unable to overcome the margin. Utica held on to their lead for the entire second half, and UR’s season came to an end with a 64-57 loss to Utica.
Muller had solid numbers with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Wescott pulled down 10 rebounds with five points.
The UR seniors – Megan Damcott, Megan Fish, Zalika Green, Ashley Latimer and Wescott – end their UR career with an 84-31 record, including an ECAC championship and two appearances in the NCAA Final Four.
“As a senior, we had a great season, and I couldn’t have asked for better teammates,” Latimer said. “It was a disappointing way to end, but we still had a strong, successful season, with some huge wins. I’m proud of everything that we accomplished.”
McLean can be reached at amclean@campustimes.org.
