Freshman forward Emily Lavarnway waits for the play to begin during a game against the SUNY Oswego Lakers on Friday Jan. 26. The women have boasted an impressive 14-0 conference record, and seek to advance to the SUNYAC Championship. (Collin Ellis/staff photographer)
The Geneseo women’s basketball team continues to add to their repertoire of wins.
A perfect conference record remains intact for the Knights, after they plowed passed the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles on Saturday Feb. 3. The 19-2 women’s team hosted the Golden Eagles and managed to deliver another strong win.
With an 82-56 victory against Brockport, the Knights have once again displayed a lights-out performance. Since their 79-76 loss to the Rochester Institute of Technology on Jan. 23, Geneseo has made up for the disappointing result with outstanding performances. The last four games have been complete domination for the rebounding Knights, outscoring their opponents 274-162.
The loss to RIT did nothing but motivate the women to finish off the season strong, junior forward McKenna Brooks said. They are certainly in the process of granting Brooks’s prediction as they have gone on a 4-0 tare over the past week.
Saturday’s victory can be accredited to many factors; however, freshman guard Natalie Alfieri shines light on a trait that may not have always been noticeable this year.
“Definitely our team chemistry [contributed to our win],” Alfieri said. “We enjoy playing for each other and because of that we really feed off each other’s energy.”
After essentially beginning this season with a new team, the outlook for the women has been unpredictable. Over the past few weeks, it is becoming clearer that the team has found its stride on and off the court.
As stressed time and time again, the freshmen have been literal game changers this year. Alfieri, for example, trails close behind veteran Brooks for total number of points this year. Alfieri and fellow freshman guard Lindsay Halpin both lead the team with the number of minutes played throughout the whole season.
Although she is just a freshman, Alfieri is well aware of her role on the team.
“Coming in I knew I had a big role to fill, so I’m just trying my best to do that for the team,” Alfieri said.
So, what is next for the red hot Geneseo Knights? After their upcoming four games, they will take on the SUNYAC Tournament.
This weekend the women will top off their regular season home games with a matchup on Friday Feb. 9 against the SUNY New Paltz Hawks and then a Saturday Feb. 10 game against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons. Following this weekend’s home series, Geneseo will find themselves on the road for their season finale against SUNY Cortland on Feb. 16 and SUNY Oswego on Feb. 17.
With the No. 1 seed nearly secured for the SUNYAC Tournament, the Knights have found themselves in a secure spot. The team knows all too well, however, that there is no such thing as being in a comfortable position.
“We have been playing really well the past couple of games, but there is always room for improvement,” Alfieri said. “If we want to reach the next level, we can’t settle.”
Despite having a perfect 14-0 conference record and flirting with a top 25 national ranking, the Knights need to make progress if they want to secure the SUNYAC pennant.