Despite dropping their final game of the season in the SUNYAC semifinals to SUNY Cortland, Geneseo women’s basketball team should be more than proud of their overall play this season.
Not only did the Knights finish tied for the second-best record in the SUNYAC, they consistently led the league in the most advanced stats throughout the season. Geneseo led the league in percentage from the field, percentage from three-point range and free throw percentage, as well as assists per game.
Far from being a losing season, women’s basketball showed that they could face any challenge this season as constant injuries and fresh faces couldn’t stop the team from making the race for the top of the SUNYAC a closely fought battle.
Head coach Alyssa Polosky further expanded on the team’s challenges. “We achieved a 22-5 record while playing a very challenging schedule and battling injury and illness throughout the season,” Polosky said. “I could not be prouder of their efforts in all aspects of their lives.”
The Knights made the trip to New Paltz over the weekend ready to prove themselves as the true top team in their season-long tug of war with SUNY Cortland, and unfortunately the matchup did not start on a positive note for Geneseo.
The Red Dragons quickly had a seven-point lead in the first quarter, and it took more than six minutes for the Knights to score their first basket. Junior guard Natalie Alfieri added the first basket and made the first quarter much more competitive as both teams continued to trade blows for the rest of the quarter after what had been a lopsided first six minutes.
The start of the second quarter seemed to be a turning point for the Knights as they began with a 7-0 run making the score 17-14 in their favor, but in an unsurprising turn of events Cortland came right back to take the lead once more. The Red Dragons finished the quarter with a run of their own as they ended up leading 23-19 at the half.
The third quarter featured much of the same elements as the last quarters for both teams because no player was able to get an easy basket in what was another low-scoring and closely-contested quarter.
The fourth quarter did the Knights no favors as they continued to cede ground to their opponent after a four-point deficit quickly morphed into a nine-point difference. The Knights ultimately could do nothing to dig themselves out of the hole, and the final score ended up 42-33 in favor of the Cortland Red Dragons.
The matchup marked Geneseo’s lowest point total of the season and their worst three-point effort as well as shooting only 2-18 (11 percent) from three-point range.
On a more positive note, however, junior forward Kerrin Montgomery had herself another exceptional game as she finished the day with 13 points and 17 rebounds. The loss versus Cortland was Montgomery’s 18th double-digit scoring effort of the season and her eighth double-double of the season.
Backing away from the stats and the coaching, Geneseo women’s basketball really should be delighted in what they accomplished this season. The team devoted their time and energy into perfecting their craft, exemplifying effort few coaches dream of seeing and working with.
Coach Polosky had nothing but praise for the team and their hard work, “A group of young women who show up every day, ready to get better and to work hard is hard to find. We have that and we have had that for a long time.”
The Knights’ hard work will have to pay off eventually and there is no better way to end the season then with the words of sophomore forward Lauren Romito. “Every one of us wishes the game ended differently, but we will have to use this as motivation for next year,” she said. “Having this bad taste in our mouths will just push us even more.”