It has been quite a ride so far for Union women's basketball coaches Mary Ellen Burt and Jamie Seward and the 2002-03 Dutchwomen. Union heads into this weekend's UCAA showdowns with Hamilton (Friday at 8 p.m.) and William Smith (Saturday at 4 p.m.) with a perfect 12-0 record. The Garnet is one of just 12 Division III teams in the country with an unblemished record. Union is just one of two New York State teams (the University of Rochester (12-0) is the other) that has not suffered a loss. St. John Fisher fell out of that category after losing to Roberts Wesleyan last weekend.
The keys to Union's success thus far has been quality depth and defense. Burt, who is now in her eighth season and has led the Dutchwomen to a record of 58-33 over the last three seasons (including this year's 12-0 start), can call on any one of her 13 players at any point in the game. In fact, so balanced is the Garnet's roster that not one single player has started every game.
“It is a unique luxury to be able to rotate our starters game to game,” explained Burt. “This year the term “starter” means nothing more than who gets to be on the floor first. Every single one of our players could be a starter for a lot of teams. This year the focus really is on team and not who is starting.”
Five of Union's players are averaging over 20 minutes a game with junior point guard Taryn Scinto (Westwood, NJ/Immaculate Heart) leading the squad with an average of 26 minutes a game. Scinto, a three-year starter, leads the team in both assists (34) and steals (36) and is averaging 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds a game. Freshman Kate DeSorrento (Schaghticoke, NY/Catholic Central), who leads the Dutchwomen in scoring with her 12.7 average, and sophomore Katlyn Cunningham (Clarksburg, MA/Drury), who tops the rebounding chart with an average of 6.3 and is second on the team in scoring at 12.1, average 25.9 and 21.9
minutes a game, respectively. In fact, there have been many games when the two spell each other on the court.
Sophomore guard Melissa Marra (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville), third in scoring at 11.6 and second in three-point field goals with 10 (one behind Scinto's 11), averages 23 minutes of playing time. Kelly Baker (Cutchogue, NY/Mattituck) a junior forward who leads the squad with her 10 blocked shots and is second in rebounding at 4.5, is averaging 23.3 playing minutes. Five other Dutchwomen are averaging double-digit minutes, including freshman Courtney Shepard (Pittsfield, MA/Pittsfield), who got off to a slow start because of illness. Shepard, who is averaging 17.6 minutes, has scored in double digits in four of her last five outings and is averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Union's consistent swarming style of pressure defense has produced 352 turnovers thus far while they have turned the ball over just 253 times. The Dutchwomen, who are averaging 74 points a game (while giving up an average of 53), are picking up an average of 28 points a game off of turnovers. Union's bench is outscoring the opposition by an average of 28.2 to 16.4 a game.
As the season progresses, the schedule gets more challenging for the Dutchwomen. Last Friday Union took a big step towards meeting those challenges as it beat Rensselaer in Troy, 79-72. Union led from start to finish to break a seven-game losing streak at RPI. Going into the contest, the Red Hawks had won 12 of the last 13 meeting and had captured 33 of the previous 41 meetings (including their 18-4 mark at home).
Hamilton comes into Memorial Field House with a series advantage of 20-9 while William Smith, which won the first 17 meetings against Union, enjoys a series advantage of 18-2. Things only get more difficult for the Dutchwomen as next weekend (January 31 and February 1) they make the dreaded North Country Trip to take on Clarkson and St. Lawrence. While the Garnet has won the last six in a row from the Golden Knights and enjoys a series advantage of 12-6, the Saints have won 14 of the 16 meetings since the teams first met in 1994, including 14 of the last 15 games. While Union won at home in 2000, 67-61, St. Lawrence has outscored the Garnet, 1,080 to 922, or an average of 67.5 to 57.6.
The week after they return from the North Country, the Dutchwomen travel to meet Hamilton and William Smith before ending the regular-season with a six-game homestand.
Previous Union Teams with 12 or more victories in a single season:
- 1999-00 18-9
- 2000-01 15-11
- 1978-79 13-10
- 1991-92 12-11
The 1975-76 season was the first year that basketball had varsity status at Union.