First-year guard Taylor Hansen (pictured above) drives past a defender on the way to the baseline in a game against Potsdam on Saturday Feb. 1. The Knights won by a score of 89-50 (Courtesy of Kieth Walters).
The Geneseo women’s basketball team had a packed schedule last weekend with a pair of SUNYAC home wins against the visiting Plattsburgh Cardinals and Potsdam Bears.
Their weekend kicked off on Friday Jan. 31 with the Knights completing their season sweep of the Cardinals with a score of 63-50.
Geneseo entered the game with an electric start, garnering a 13-4 lead within the game’s opening five minutes. This initial surge in scoring was led by junior guard Lindsay Halpin’s four points off a pair of clean jump shots. The Knights would cool down offensively but play consistently solid on defense for the whole 40 minutes. They allowed only 12 points in three of the four quarters and forced 19 turnovers.
“We are more effective as a team when we can consistently make defensive stops and look to push the ball once we get it,” junior forward Kerrin Montgomery said. They were able to push the ball well against the Cardinals, scoring 26 in the paint.
Montgomery led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds as she registered her seventh double-double of the season. Her double-digit scoring was joined by Halpin and senior guard Sara Ciotti, who were responsible for 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Knights’ ability to shoot from the field with an efficiency of 53.2 percent was definitely a contributing factor in Geneseo’s win.
The Knights continued their triumphs into Saturday as they routed Potsdam by a score of 89-50.
As part of their senior night festivities, the team, coaches, families and fans recognized Ciotti, senior guard Natalie DiSalvo, senior guard Madison McCulley and former guard Savannah Williams who tragically passed away in 2016 and would’ve been in her fourth season with Geneseo this spring. Before the game, the team was able to raise $800 for a scholarship named in her honor.
“It motivated us all to give it all we had to try and emulate the passion Savannah had for the game,” Montgomery said, “She left a mark on our team that is felt by all of those who knew her as well as those of us who did not.”
With Williams watching them from above, the Knights trailed slightly after one quarter before unleashing a heavy barrage on the Bears’ defense. In the second quarter, Geneseo scored 29 points before topping that with 33 points in the 3rd quarter.
The Knights shot well above their season average from the field, draining 33 of their 55 field goal attempts. They were aided by a bench that was on fire, almost outscoring the entire opposing side on their way to scoring a combined 45 points.
Montgomery led the team again in scoring with 17 points. McCulley would add on 11 of her own while shooting three for four from behind the three-point arch. Junior guard Natalie Alfieri and Halpin both contributed double-digit performances off the bench with both recording more than 20 minutes on the court.
Ciotti put on a clinic on both ends of the court in her senior night performance, grabbing five balls off the board and registering five steals, in addition to her 10 points.
Taking to the road to face Buffalo State on Tuesday Feb. 4, the Knights were able to comeback from a 32-23 halftime deficit, the largest the team has faced this season. The third quarter proved to be the turning point as Geneseo outscored the Bengals 26-8, taking a 49-40 lead into the fourth. Halpin notched eight points in the final quarter to help Geneseo secure a 68-53 win.
This weekend Geneseo hopes to keep their perfect record alive in the Catskills as they travel to face SUNY New Paltz in a matchup crucial to the race for the No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC playoffs.
Mark your calendars for their regular season home finale on Tuesday Feb. 11 as they host the Buffalo State Bengals at 5:30 p.m. in Schrader Gym.