The Little Things Make All the Difference

On Tuesday night, we beat the second-best team in the Liberty League, RPI. I guess you could call it an upset because they are higher in the standings than we are, but really we just felt that we were the better all-around team and that is why we won the game. What really mattered was that it kept our playoff hopes alive heading into this weekend.

If you look in the box score of Tuesday night’s game, you will see that we won by a score of 59-55. You will see that Brittany Parks led us with 21 points and five steals, and you will see that Olivia Westbrook-Gold had 11 points and six boards off the bench to spark us as well. You’ll see that RPI was led by 19 points from graduate student Whitney Coleman. But the box score won’t tell you offer the most revealing glimpse into why we won because it was the unheralded, non-statistical contributions of freshman Anielle Fredman that made the difference.

According to the box score, Ani played just nine minutes in the contest, and contributed with just a foul and a turnover. The box score doesn’t tell you that Ani made all the difference in the game. After House picked up her fourth foul and headed to the bench, we went through a tough scoring drought, while RPI’s Coleman beginning to take over the game, hitting jumper after jumper in the lane. With about eight minutes left to play, our 12-point cushion had been whittled down to four as Coleman single-handedly brought RPI back into the game.

It was at this point, which about eight and half minutes left to play that Ani Subbed in, her first appearance of the game. We switched our defense to a box and 1, and Ani’s sole job was to faceguard Coleman at all times and keep her from getting the ball and scoring. This is exactly what Ani did. Ani was able to keep Coleman from getting the ball the majority of the time, and when she did get it she rarely scored. The intensity and pressure of Ani’s defense truly allowed us to win this game.

In the box score, Ani’s play seems insignificant, but everyone watching that game, my teammates and coaches in particular, knows that we don’t win that game without Ani on the court playing her “Big D” as she likes to call it. Sometimes, the box score can’t tell the story of the little things, and those really do make all the difference.

Beating Union: A Little Taste of Revenge

On Saturday, we beat Union for the first time EVER. And we didn’t just squeak by them. We built the lead up to as much as eighteen points, and ended up winning 59-46. I really don’t think winning has ever felt so good.

Sitting on the bench at the end of the game watching as we continued to outhustle, out-execute, and outplay our opponents, I thought about our Senior Day last year, which was against Union, who was at the top of the league standings while we were…well, we were not at the top. We got blown out that day, and they never really let down at any point during the game. It was one of my worst memories of the season last year, but it made this win even sweeter. Revenge feels great. For me and the few other returners that were around for that game last year, Saturday was a particularly satisfying win.

This might sound a little harsh, but honestly, this is collegiate basketball. It’s the Liberty League. There’s no room for sympathy. Someone asked me the other day who I thought our ‘rival’ was. I told them I didn’t think we had one, because I feel the same disdain for every team we play. I respect them all, but I want to beat each of them equally as bad as the others. Like I said, this is college basketball, and it’s the Liberty League.

That being said, Saturday’s revenge was nothing short of incredible. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to head into the most crucial part of our season: the second half of Liberty League, where our playoff fate will be decided. Here we go…