2008 Woodie Awards
Women's basketball beats BYU for third straight win
Dave Mandler
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Sports
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"We've never played a Big West Conference school like BYU so it was a great opportunity for our program to face a school like BYU and even better for us to get a win against them", said junior Kaitlin Sowinski.
The out-of-conference game was at home in the Pitt Center for the Pioneers who played in front of a disappointing crowd of 461 fans.
It was a back and forth battle throughout the whole game and many contributed to the win however there was one Pioneer who left a lasting impression among those in attendance. Sowinski led all scorers with 16 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
"It feels great to play a big role in any win. Going into my junior year after graduating such dominant players such as Pape and Walker last year I knew that I was going to be called on for leadership on the court this year," said Sowinski.
The Pioneers were only up one point going into halftime; the second half would prove to be just as close. Trailing early in the second half Sacred Heart had to get something going, they did just that going on a 10-2 run which was made possible by the efforts junior Liz Gruber and Sowinski. They would have a 33-27 lead with 11 minutes to go.
Maureen Reilly who hit back-to-back jump shots to put the lead to 40-34 with five minutes left. The lead wouldn't last long as BYU got some life and went on an 8-2 run to tie the game up at 42-42 with two minutes left.
Sacred Heart turned to their standout center, Sowinski, and she delivered with a tough two point play underneath the boards to put the Pioneers up 44-42. However the lead would not last for long thanks to BYU's leading scorer on the day, Mallary Carling who finished with 22 points. Carling tied the game up at 44-44 with 37 seconds to go.
Sacred Heart junior Khalia Cain was fouled as she went for the layup creating a crucial 1-1 opportunity on the line. Making one shot to put the Pioneers up 45-44 but missing the second, however SHU would get the ball back as it touched a BYU player before going out of bounds.
BYU who was then forced to foul down by one point with only 10 seconds left put fresh man Maggie Cosgrove on the line on another 1-1 opportunity. She went on to make both putting the Pioneers up by three.
Cosgrove would then go on to make the biggest play of the game, which eventually sealed the win. As BYU inbounded the ball she took a charge that put her on the line once again. With everyone on their feet she sunk both and gave the Pioneers the win they needed in order to gain the respect they deserved.
"There are a number of things we could and need to constantly improve on...coach has really been stressing rebounding which is an important offensive and defensive game key. We cant just settle after a big win like BYU because Dartmouth could easily come out hungry and take it too us", said Sowinski.
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