With a team full of diverse talents, members of the UR women’s basketball team must be prepared to play different roles. Throughout the season, multiple players have contributed in a variety of positions and constantly changing lineups. Adjusting can take time, but now the Yellowjackets are shining.
“As we get all on the same page and all have experience, I think we can be very dangerous,” Head Coach Jim Scheible said.
A six-game winning streak by UR is alerting the rest of the University Athletic Association that they are a clear danger as the postseason approaches.
They had two games for hometown fans this weekend. The Yellowjackets defeated No. 11 New York University and No. 8 Brandeis University. UR lost to both teams previously this season.
“We played together as a team with a great deal of heart,” sophomore Danielle Muller said. “It was obvious that we wanted to win more.”
On Friday evening, the visiting NYU Violets were guaranteed to be a tough match for UR. The Yellowjackets had lost to NYU, a consistent season rival, by 10 points one month earlier. NYU hit the first shot of the game, but quickly lost the lead within the first minutes of the half. UR had eight players score before halftime.
Many opportunities for those points came from sophomore Emily Bango, who dished out six of her seven assists by the end of the first half. UR led by as much as 18 points with 40 seconds on the clock.
UR headed into the break, leading NYU 40-26 and continued to maintain the lead with second-half play. With 10:18 left in the game, the score remained in favor of the Yellowjackets, 57-41 but the Violets chipped away at the UR lead in the remaining 10 minutes. A 21-8 run by NYU cut the UR lead to three points with only nine seconds left. Forced to foul, NYU quickly sent Bango to the line where she sunk both free throws and secured the UR victory, 67-62.
Leading UR in scoring were Fish and sophomore Megan Krebbeks with 12 points apiece. Bango had 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
UR wasn’t ready to break their five-game winning streak, and the previous 15-point loss this season to the Brandeis Judges did not deter the Yellowjackets. Heading into Sunday’s game, UR was ready for a fight.
It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams in most of the first half. After five instances of a tied score and four lead changes, UR began to pull ahead by the 4:36 minute-mark. A layup from senior Ashley Latimer started a 10-3 run to send UR into half-time with a 29-22 lead.
The Yellowjackets exploded out of the break and dominated the Judges on both ends of the court. UR shot 47.1% from the floor compared to Brandeis’ 5% – making only one field goal the entire half. UR held Brandeis to only an 18.8 shooting percentage for the entire game. The Yellowjackets were also able to convert defensive efforts into offensive gain with 22 points off of turnovers for the game.
Junior Jessie Graham and Fish led UR in scoring with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Fish and Graham also pulled down eight boards each. Bango had eight points, eight assists, and had six steals against the Judges.
The two wins brought UR to a 6-5 UAA record and an overall record of 18-3. Now in a six-game winning streak, the Yellowjackets will look to add seventh consecutive win when they fly out to face the University of Chicago on Feb. 18.
McLean can be reached at amclean@campustimes.org.
