Sophomore forward Kerrin Montgomery shoots a jumpshot in a game against SUNY Brockport on Satuday Feb. 9. Montgomery scored 10 points in the contest (Josie Kwan/assoc. Photo editor).
Geneseo women’s basketball brought about back-to-back wins against SUNY Brockport, both at home and away. The wins come as the women begin wrapping up the regular season.
“When you play against a team back-to-back like that, you see who improves more over the break between games,” junior guard Natalie DiSalvo said. “We actually were a bit stronger on the Saturday game, but we still were able to put out a better game on Tuesday than they were.”
The Knights first faced off against the Golden Eagles on Saturday Feb. 9 in Geneseo’s own Schrader Gymnasium. The Knights started off strong before coasting away with a decisive 68-49 victory.
The Knights remained consistent throughout the first half. Geneseo managed a solid 18 points for both quarters before putting up 20 in the third quarter. Even though the Knights fell back down to 12 to wrap up the last quarter, the game was already out of the Golden Eagles’ reach.
“We really went into the first game with consistent offense,” DiSalvo said. “That was something we struggled with in other games throughout the semester, so it was nice that we were able to stay strong throughout.”
The Knights traveled to Brockport on Tuesday Feb. 12 to take on the Golden Eagles for the second time in three days. Despite a slight stumble in the first quarter, the Knights coasted away with an almost 30-point margin, defeating Brockport 73-46.
The game started somewhat neck-and-neck as the Golden Eagles put up ten points to the Knights’ 11. The last three quarters ended without any doubts as to who played the stronger game. For the last 30 minutes, Geneseo racked up 62 points, while Brockport only managed 36 in all three of the last quarters.
Offense proved to be the watchword for Tuesday’s game at Brockport’s home court. Geneseo lit up the floor with a 46.6 percent shooting record, with stand-out performances from senior forward McKenna Brooks, who put up 15 points and sophomore forward Kerrin Montgomery who put up 14.
Meanwhile, Geneseo kept the Golden Eagles to a dismal 27.9 shooting percentage. With 15 total turnovers throughout the game, the Knights effectively created a half-court contest.
The Knights are entering their end of the regular season with a final pair of games in Schrader Gymnasium. The Knights will face off against the Cortland Red Dragons on Friday Feb. 15 before taking on the Oswego Lakers on Saturday Feb. 16.
Geneseo handily defeated both teams in matches early this season. Regardless of what’s in store for the Knights’ near future, DiSalvo emphasized that they are taking things slowly.
“Right now, we’re taking it game by game,” DiSalvo said. “We know the playoffs are on the horizon, but we’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves.”