Geneseo women’s basketball: Recapping a stellar season
On Tuesday, Mar. 1, three members of the Geneseo women’s basketball team received several honors at the State University of New York Athletic Conference; the awards went to junior guard Taylor Hansen for Co-Defensive Player of the Year, as well as to junior guard Hannah Stockman and first-year guard Mackenzie Reigle, who earned second and third-team awards. Though this awardship came shortly after a disappointing semifinals loss against SUNY New Paltz (Friday Feb. 25), make no mistake—the team has had an incredibly impressive few months of play. Here’s a brief recap of their 2021-2022 season.
The team started off strong in November, with three straight wins Mt. Aloysius College, Penn State-Altoona and Keuka college. The latter was a near-shutout, with a final score of 94-38 Geneseo. The game gained gradual momentum, eventually ramping up from a 6-3 Keuka score to 55-21 in Geneseo’s favor by halftime. The second half saw Geneseo outscore Keuka 39-17. Notable players during this game include the aforementioned Stockman as well as first-year guard Brooke Woodard, who both scored 15 points throughout the game. Notably, this game’s final score now holds the record for the second-largest victory margin in the program’s history.
Unfortunately, this game was followed with three nail biter losses against Medaille College, Ithaca College and SUNY Fredonia. The team found their footing against SUNY Buffalo heading into December, winning out 62-54. It was an incredibly tight race, with sophomore guard Kelly McLaughlin scoring nine points in the third quarter and junior forward Lauren Romito maintaining the Knights’ upperhand, scoring 17 points and pulling 12 rebounds.
Following the win against Buffalo were three more close losses against SUNY Cortland, Rochester Institute of Technology and SUNY Oneonta. The game against Oneonta was especially close, with a final score of 55-52. Just before half-time, the Oneonta Red Dragons took a two-point advantage, bringing the score to 23-21. They continued to push for a landslide win, but the Knights fought back and fell short just before the clock ran out.
The Knights picked up six more wins and two losses throughout the rest of January, including one of each against their future foes, New Paltz. Another standout game was on Saturday Jan. 29 against Plattsburgh, with a final score of 77-38 Geneseo. This was the Knights’ senior game and the team’s only senior, forward Megan Roell, impressed with 13 points and nine rebounds, including one foul shot.
Nearing the end of the season into February, the Knights earned six consecutive wins against Buffalo, Brockport, William Smith, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Fredonia. After one minor loss against Cortland on Saturday Feb. 19, the team headed into the SUNYAC Quarterfinals and once again beat Fredonia 44-40.
The Knights’ final game was this past Friday Feb. 25, with a final score of 53-41 New Paltz. But this game was anything but a landslide. Three minutes into the first half, Stockman scored, followed almost immediately by a layup from Hansen and sophomore guard Kiley Snow, altogether bringing the score to 6-0. New Paltz quickly bounced back, but the Knights were able to keep the score within three points of the opposing team, thanks in part to a three-point shot from Snow with just a minute left in the second quarter. In the game’s final ten minutes, the New Paltz Hawks achieved a major lead, with nineteen points scored. Though the Knights fought tirelessly and earned twenty comeback points, the efforts were not enough to fill such a large scoring gap.
The women’s basketball team had a fantastic season, ending with 17 wins and 10 losses. This also marks the team’s 12th-consecutive season with a record over .500. Though it is always sad to see a Geneseo team’s season come to an end, the members of the women’s basketball team certainly deserve a break from all their hard work, and we here at The Lamron can’t wait to welcome them back to the court next semester!