Consistency remains on head coach Scott Hemer’s mind as the Geneseo women’s basketball team defeated SUNY Brockport 71-26 on Saturday Feb. 1 in SUNYAC play.Hemer noted the team’s ability to grab rebounds and how it has come and gone this season. He said the team is getting back into the defensive style of play as of late.
In the Brockport game, the Knights outrebounded Brockport 52 to 27; more importantly, 34 of the 52 came while on defense.
“I believe that this group has reconnected with that [mindset of defense and rebounding] over the last week or two, and I thought Saturday was a reflection of that,” Hemer said. “I thought they dominated both areas and came very mentally prepared for the opponent.”
This win is owed to Knights defense as it held Brockport to 16 and 10 points in the first and second halves, respectively. The Golden Eagles could only sink 10 shots in 53 attempts – an abysmal 18.9 percent. This is including the 21 3-pointers they threw up without getting into the hoop.
The Knights’ consistency is also noticeable in the box score against Brockport. Only two players scored into double digits, but seven players had five or more points. At the boards, center junior Katie Peterson led Geneseo with seven and five other players were able to grab four or more rebounds.
Three players had three rebounds on the night for Geneseo. Forward junior Shannon McGinnis scored a game-high 19 points and shot 50 percent from field goal position. Hemer said he’s been pleased with McGinnis’ play.
“She plays with a high motor,” he said. “She’s difficult for teams to contain; between her natural quickness and physical style combined with that high motor, she’s a tough matchup for all the teams in our conference.”
The bench contributed as well, scoring 28 points – 12 from forward freshman Katie Vienneau alone. The Knights have won two straight games as they improve to 12-5 on the season and return to play against SUNY Potsdam at 6 p.m. on Friday Feb. 7 on home court.