A 1-6 start to the season was clearly not what the women’s basketball team had envisioned, but after Tuesday’s 60-59 loss to Army, the team has 20 days to regroup.
The break in the schedule comes at an opportune time for the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-0 Ivy), who have stumbled out of the blocks. While the early-season competition was stiff and it did not help the team to have only two games, the team had hopes for a stronger start.
At the Mildred and Roger White Invitational at Northwestern over the weekend, the Bulldogs dropped two 10-point decisions. In the opener, the host Wildcats took advantage of a poor Yale shooting night (16-67 for only 23.9 percent) and pulled out a 54-44 victory. The Bulldogs held a 53-37 rebounding edge but their problems from the field and the line (6-15) were too much.
In the consolation game, Central Michigan defeated the Elis 49-39. After scoring a measly 12 points in the first half, the Bulldogs closed the gap to two at 29-27 with 10 minutes remaining but were unable to get any closer.
Head coach Amy Backus earned three varsity letters in basketball at Central Michigan between 1977-1979, but the Chippewas did not take it easy on their alum’s squad. Neither did the referees; the Bulldogs did not get to the foul line once in the entire game. The Chippewas were whistled for only 10 fouls, and with the Bulldogs again struggling from the floor (32 percent), the lack of free throws was all the more painful.
— Ben Feit