The women's basketball team continues to set records. The 15-5 Dutchwomen received their first-ever national ranking when they were ranked seventh in the East Region of the NCAA for the week of February 5. Union, which is in its 26th year as a varsity sport, heads into this weekend's games at league rivals Clarkson and St. Lawrence tied for first place in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association with Rensselaer and St. Lawrence at 8-2.
“This has been a breakout year for us,” said sixth-year head coach Mary Ellen Burt. “We've gotten strong senior leadership, both on and off of the court, we've gotten strong play from our starters and we've gotten strong play from the players we've called upon off the bench.
“But with all that, the key to the season has been the confidence our players have in themselves as individuals and the confidence they have in each other This year when one player has had an off night, someone else comes in and raises their game to a higher level.”
Such was the case in the Dutchwomen's latest win, a 65-54 victory over UCAA rival Skidmore on Tuesday night (February 6). Tied at 54 with 4:30 left to play, junior Heather Bennett (Westwood, MA/Westwood) stole the ball in Union's end with 3:12 showing then hit one of two free throws to give Union a 55-54 lead at 3:45. Classmate Katie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) then scored the next three baskets to give Union a 61-54 advantage with 43 seconds left before Bennett closed out a game-ending 11-0 run with four free throws.
Smith ended the night with a game-high 24 points while contributing six rebounds and three assists while Bennett had 14 points and 14 boards.
But while Smith and Bennett teamed to ensure the victory, they were not alone in deciding the outcome. Senior forward Beth Perry (Bliss, NY/Lechworth) scored six of her eight points and pulled down five of her nine rebounds to help Union to a 24-20 halftime lead. Senior Sara D'Arcangelo (Clarksburg, MA/Drury) connected on three three-point field goals and senior guard Erin McNamara (N. Providence RI/LaSalle Academy) handed out a team-high four assists.
While the Dutchwomen are a very good and well-balanced team, every squad needs a little bit of luck…and they got some last Saturday (February 3) in their 51-48 victory over UCAA opponent Hamilton.
Leading 40-21 with 13:43 left to play, Hamilton caught fire, especially from three-point range where the Lady Continentals connected on 5 of 11 attempts in the second half (after going 1 for 9 in the first 20 minutes). With just five seconds left to play and Union leading by two, 50-48, Hamilton put up a three-point attempt from the left corner. The ball arched teasingly in the air, went into the cylinder and rattled around before popping out and landing in the arms of freshman guard Taryn Scinto (Westwood, NJ/Immaculate Heart), who hit one of the two free throws with one second showing.
“We've certainly had our share of disappointments when a ball like that go through the hole,” said Burt. “It was nice to have one bounce our way”. The timing was especially nice for Union as the team had recognized its four seniors in pre-game ceremonies. On top of that, the Dutchwomen had recorded their first-ever win over William Smith, 61-44, a perennial league champion and NCAA team, the previous day. The Herons, who had won all 17 previous meetings against the Dutchwomen, trailed 33-12 at the half and never recovered.
This has been a season in which the Dutchwomen have been able to settle some scores against old rivals. The teams on this year's schedule had posted a record of 172-92 against Union in the Dutchwomen's first 25 years. Williams (which was 19-23 and brought an 11-game winning streak against Union into the season) lost 74-58, William Smith (which was 16-0 entering the year and won the first meeting of this season) bowed, and Rensselaer (which was 34-7 and had won 10 in a row since 1997) fell to the Dutchwomen, 69-59. Only Middlebury (which came in at 13-4), Hartwick (16-1) and St. Lawrence (9-2) escaped with victories.
“It has been nice to replay some old debts,” said Burt. “I'm especially happy that this has come in a year where we have four seniors who have stuck with the program through some very difficult times. Their leadership, their upbeat attitude towards the program, their dedication and their play has provided us with a solid foundation and has been the main reason why this year has been so successful.
“Union's 8-2 UCAA record not only ensures that the Dutchwomen will finish with their first winning mark in the circuit, it also means the Garnet has locked up one of the four quarterfinal host positions (on Tuesday, February 20) for the season-ending tournament.
With St. Lawrence and Rensselaer left on the schedule, Union controls its own destiny and could wind up as the No. 1 seed. A win in the quarterfinals would mean that Union would host the semi-final and finals on February 23 and 24. The winner of the tournament gets the league's automatic NCAA bid.
The Dutchwomen's final four regular-season games will be on the road against UCAA rivals. This weekend Union will play at Clarkson on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on St. Lawrence, which beat Union, 54-53, Saturday at 2 p.m. Next Friday the Dutchwomen will travel to play Rensselaer at 6 p.m. and then conclude the regular-season at Vassar on Saturday at 2.
Union's 15-5 record breaks the old mark of 13 wins set in the 1978-79 campaign (13-10) and tied by last year's 13-13 team. This will mark just the fourth winning season in the 26-year history of the sport. The Dutchwomen's other two winning seasons came in 1977-78 (9-7) and 1991-92 (12-11).