Geneseo women’s basketball faced a tough slate of SUNYAC matchups over the weekend and came away with a .500 record in a close loss to the New Paltz Cardinals and a resounding victory over the Oneonta Red Dragons. The team followed these performances by handling Buffalo State and earning a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament.
The Knights came into the game versus New Paltz fresh off a four-game win streak looking ready to bring down the SUNYAC-leading Hawks. Unfortunately, the Knights couldn’t pull off a win in what was another close-game loss. This loss marked their fourth of the season, all of which came by eight points or less.
Geneseo started out looking like the team that had won four straight games, as they held the lead for much of the first quarter. The Cardinals made quick work of that lead, however, and by the end of the first quarter, Geneseo was down 9-8.
The rest of the first half featured much of the same back-and-forth play of the first quarter. First-year guard Hannah Stockman knocked down a critical three to tie the game halfway through the first quarter, but after that New Paltz took control of the play and muscled their way to a 28-22 lead by the end of the first half.
The second half was a teeter-totter affair as Geneseo would make a run only to watch the Cardinals race right back to take the lead again. After a surge to start the fourth quarter by the Knights, New Paltz grasped ahold of the game and never let go as they ultimately picked up the win 48-40.
Junior forward Kerrin Montgomery led the way in scoring with eight points, but the 34 turnovers committed by Geneseo stood out from everything else as another reminder of the frustrating mental errors that have plagued the team.
The Knights flipped the script on Saturday in a dominant win over Oneonta. Junior guard Lindsay Halpin led the way in scoring with 19 points and four three-pointers. Senior guard Sara Ciotti added three more three-pointers and 11 points on what was a great day from beyond the arc for a Geneseo team that shot 42.9 percent overall.
When asked what made the Oneonta game different for Geneseo, Stockman said, “I think as a team we played together more and found the opening by taking our time to get those extra passes. I also think our defense improved and allowed us to execute our plan of limiting the amount of opportunities the other team gets.”
The improvement was clear as the Knights found themselves with a 35-16 lead at the end of the first half on Saturday. Geneseo cruised to the win from then, leading by 30 points at the end of the third quarter. The game ended in a 67-41 Geneseo victory and what the Knights hope is the start of another winning streak.
With a chance at gaining a spot in the playoffs on the line, Geneseo hosted Buffalo State in a grudge match after Geneseo got the win at Buffalo the week before. The Knights stole the show in the first quarter and earned themselves a 22-11 lead. Their hot play continued into the first half in large part due to the play of Ciotti, who finished the first half with 11 points and two three-pointers.
The third quarter leaned towards Buffalo State, but Ciotti again led the way for the Knights as she kept the Bengals from gaining a foothold. Geneseo held firm in the fourth quarter and eased their way to a 71-56 win.
The Buffalo State game was just part of the bigger plan to excel in the playoffs according to Stockman, “We won’t stop the hard work this season because we feel we can succeed in the playoffs,” she said.
If the Knights’ improved shooting and ball handling can be maintained, Stockman may have a point. If all goes to plan, Geneseo can show everybody just how good they are in the SUNYAC Tournament.
Catch the Knights in action next on Saturday March 15 as they travel to Brockport to take on the Golden Eagles.