Sports

Women's basketball wins two, enters top five

In print | January 29, 2009

Two consecutive Centennial Conference wins in the past week have put the Garnet women’s basketball team one step closer to reaching the Centennial Conference championship tournament. Swarthmore came out on top at Washington last Tuesday by a score of 58-53 and defeated Ursinus at home on Saturday by a score of 69-50. The two victories improve Swarthmore’s conference record to 6-4, increasing the likelihood of a playoff berth.

In order to make the conference tournament, Swarthmore must be among the top five teams in the conference standings, which are determined by each team’s record against conference opponents. Currently, Swat (9-8 overall) stands in fourth place in the eleven-team field. Gettysburg and Dickinson also have records of 6-4 in conference play and sandwich Swarthmore in the rankings by virtue of the results of head-to-head matchups, which are used to break ties.

Next month, the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams in the conference will face off to fight for a spot in the semifinals against the top-ranked team. Currently firmly established atop the leader board is #25 Muhlenberg, undefeated within the Centennial with a record of 11-0.

Kathryn Stockbower ’11, the conference’s leading scorer at 299 points, averaging 18.7 points per game, also leads the conference in rebounds at 238 (over 100 more than any other player in the conference), averaging 14.9 rebounds per game. Her expertise on the court spearheads the Garnet offense, while off the court her knowledge provides valuable insight into Swarthmore’s strategy. “Initially, our biggest problem was holding our defense together, but that has definitely improved,” she said. She also added that “not letting the other team out-rebound us” has been an area of focus lately for the women.

In the meantime, Swarthmore has managed to win games as the result of contributions from a large number of players on the team. Against Washington, it was Nicole Rizzo ‘12 who sank a three-pointer with less than a minute left in the game to spark a 5-0 run that broke a 53-53 tie. Against Ursinus, Ceylan Bodur ’11 scored her first double-double (double-digit figures in both scoring and rebounds) of the season to propel the Garnet past the Bears. Outstanding performances like these, coupled with Stockbower’s potent offense and a conference-leading shot-blocker in Summer Miller-Walfish ‘11, are the makings of a daunting all-around roster.

Indeed, after finishing last season with a conference record of 5-13, the Swarthmore women have already made significant improvements. The transition from so-so to so-much-better hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Considering where we finished last season, a lot of people didn’t regard us very highly,” Stockbower said. However, she added that as the season unfolded and Swarthmore started “winning some games, people started taking notice of our wins.” Rizzo also recognizes the low expectations of the squad, noting that “We’ve surprised a lot of people. I really think it’s anyone’s conference at this point.”

Swarthmore is only 1.5 games out of second place, which would be considered safe territory if the team can establish itself there within the next couple of weeks. Of course, the nature of the ranking system requires that Swarthmore receive a little bit of help. Over the next string of games, any losses posted by Gettysburg, Dickinson or Franklin & Marshall bode well for the Garnet’s playoff hopes. In the meantime, it’s a mad scramble in the middle of the Centennial.

Where can Swarthmore improve in the next month? “Defense,” said Head Coach Renee DeVarney. She added that “we are a pretty good offensive team, and on days when our defense is good, we are really good [overall].” When asked which games in particular will be critical in the upcoming weeks, she responded, “All of them.” DeVarney explained that while Swarthmore is expected to win some games, and others are considered to be more difficult, the Garnet can’t afford any losses. She cited the upcoming match against Franklin & Marshall as a key game. Swarthmore dropped a match on the road against the Diplomats earlier this month by a score of 74-57.

The Garnet tested their strength at home last night against Haverford (3-11, 2-8 CC) and will host Franklin & Marshall (8-8, 5-4 CC) in an attempt to avenge their loss on Saturday.