The longest win streak in Geneseo women's basketball history came to an end over the weekend when the Knights fell to SUNY New Paltz, 53-47.
The 15-game streak, which was snapped by the Hawks on Saturday, is not to overshadow the fact that the Knights still piled up two more victories on Friday and Tuesday, clinching the No. 1 seed for the SUNYAC Tournament.
"I have to be honest, the streak was something that the young ladies were very proud of but I don't believe that it was something we held in as high regard as the media, family and fans," said head coach Scott Hemer. "We were simply trying to take care of business each game … and it just ended up culminating into a nice run."
Plagued by poor shot selection and inconsistent defensive rebounding, the Knights struggled to maintain their composure, shooting 29 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc. Geneseo was out-rebounded, 37-58.
"It's tough to describe," Hemer said. "I thought the young ladies really tried to generate energy and [it] just wasn't there … on the flip side they wear shirts all the time that say ‘no excuses' on the back, so let's not start making them now."
As their shirts dictate, Hemer and the Knights certainly aren't making excuses and take full responsibility for the loss.
"I think we were more disappointed after losing at New Paltz because we realized that we got outworked," he said.
After the game, Hemer shared a sentiment from late Boston Celtics great Red Auerback, who won 16 NBA titles with Boston as a head coach and general manager: "Winning has its place and losing isn't the end of the world," he told his team. "[The loss] simply gives us an opportunity to start over again, but hopefully more intelligently."
On Tuesday, the Knights rebounded, defeating SUNY Fredonia decisively, 71-44. The Knights closed the first half with a 36-17 lead and maintained no less than a 15-point advantage through the rest of the game.
"Championship caliber teams find ways to not only bounce back but to elevate their effort after a loss, and I thought we did that for the most part [against the Blue Devils]," Hemer said.
Senior Alyssa Polosky led the Knights, scoring 16 points including three clutch shots from beyond the arc and seven rebounds. Polosky also tallied three blocked shots, becoming Geneseo's all-time leader with 97.
On Friday before the loss, the Knights defeated SUNY Oneonta 60-48 thanks to contributions from Polosky, sophomore Bri Dunton and senior Khadija Campbell. Dunton led the team with 15 points and capped off a 16-4 run that put the Knights ahead with just over 11 minutes left in the game.
On the season, the Knights improve to 20-3 overall and 15-1 in SUNYAC play as they travel to SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oswego this weekend for the final two games of the regular season.
"I've said it before … it's been a great experience," Hemer said. "At this point let's just enjoy the rest of the ride and I don't know when that ride is going to stop but let's make sure that we enjoy it and have no regrets when we look back and it's all over."