Women’s Basketball sweeps the court with Alfred University
Photo courtesy of Geneseoknights.com
The Geneseo Women’s Basketball team swept Alfred University in the Empire 8 quarterfinal, stellar offense and gritty defense boosted the Knights to this win.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Women’s Basketball team faced up against the number seven seed in the Empire 8 Tournament, Alfred University, for the Quarterfinal game on home turf this weekend and came out victorious.
The Knights took no time getting the ball to the basket. It was not even a minute into the first quarter of the game when sophomore forward Kristin Suydam received her own rebound and tipped it back through the net to start the day. With a missed lay-up from Alfred, and a nice defensive block from junior forward Grace Galgano, junior guard Eva Elliot grabbed the ball and had a fast break to the net for a clean layup, awarding the Knights two more points on the board.
With tensions high, Alfred panicked and committed a foul, which was no worry for Suydam. She made both her free throws with ease, bringing the Knights up by two more points.
Alfred was feeling the pressure now as they gained possession of a missed lay-up from Geneseo but could not find the net. Here, the Knights' excellent offensive skills proved valuable, with yet another clean layup, this time from senior guard Mackenzie Reigle.
With a couple of missed jumpers, Geneseo let their guard down as Alfred got a three-point jump off them a few seconds after Suydam had another impressive tip-in in the paint. On the defensive end, the Knights made rebound after rebound and impressive blocks to regain possession of the ball and make it to the basket— ending the first quarter.
Starting with a tie in the second quarter, Geneseo took good rebounds off missed opportunities for Alfred, followed by successful three-point shots. In the paint, Reigle had an excellent layup followed by a successful tip-in, bringing the Knights to a one-point lead. With tensions high and the score close, graduate student guard Kiley Snow had two good three-point jumps— with Alfred not far behind them. Before halftime, Alfred and Geneseo were yet again at a stalemate.
At the start of the third quarter, the Knights took the lead with a good layup by Suydam in the paint with an assist from Snow. Alfred fouled Geneseo, which gave sophomore guard Audrey Hintz two chances at a free throw; through these, Hintz brought the Knights to a four-point lead with an exciting turnover that awarded Geneseo the possession of the ball and gave Galgano a chance for a three-point jumper.
On the defensive end, players like Reigle, Elliot, and Suydam demonstrated impressive blocks, rebounds, and steals to regain possession and end the third quarter with a 17-point lead. Fifteen seconds into the last quarter, Reigle had a good jumper off the tip-off with an assist from freshman guard Aliza Whitehead, followed by a successful layup from Hintz. Bringing the Knights to a 22-point lead, junior Guard Maggie McGrane had an insane 3-point jumper with a little help from Hintz.
The Knights’ defense worked overtime, as players like junior forward Sam Lewis, freshman guard Ellie Clearwater, and McGrane helped get the ball to the other side of the court for three-point jumps, clean layups, and quick shots in the paint. Geneseo ended an exciting and close game with a 25-point lead and is ready to take on this weekend.
On Mar. 1, the Knights will be playing in the Empire 8 tournament, with time and the location still to be determined, so be on the lookout for further details!