2008 Woodie Awards
All eyes on women's hoops
Michael Barrett
Issue date: 2/9/06 Section: Sports
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The win moves the women to a record of 17-4 overall and 10-2 in the Northeast Conference, which keeps them in third place.
"Tonight's win was key for us to get back into that winners' mentality," Jasmine Walker, a junior from Amityville, N.Y., said. Walker finished as the game's leading scorer with 23 points. She also had two blocks and nine rebounds in 35 minutes of play.
The game started off with both teams playing strong defense, making it hard for either offense to get rolling. The teams went back and forth, keeping each other in reach, with the lead changing hands several times.
At the end of the half, the Pioneers found themselves down by a score of 24-23 facing a defense that held them to 11-28 shooting while causing 15 turnovers.
To help the team, head coach Ed Swanson tried to inspire his girls to come out strong in the next half and win in comeback fashion.
"I pleaded with them to play up to their ability and get into the rhythm they were lacking in the first half," Swanson said.
At first it seemed that Swanson's words fell on deaf ears, as the Blackbirds came out of the locker room and picked up right where they left off. LIU continued to hold off the Pioneers, eventually climbing to a 30-25 lead five minutes into the half.
The game then hit a turning point for Sacred Heart. After a clutch three pointer by captain Nicolle Rubino, the women went on to score eight more unanswered points climbing to a 36-30 lead. Rubino finished the game with nine points, four rebounds and one assist.