Last night, the women’s basketball team did the opposite of what it did in its first game Friday.
Whereas the Bulldogs (2–0) used a strong second half to defeat Holy Cross in their season opener, they dominated the first half against Army on Tuesday and held on to defeat the Black Knights (1–2), 55–42 at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
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Yale started Tuesday’s game much better than its first game of the season, in which the Elis failed to score for the first seven minutes of the game.
“We scored in the first minute,” head coach Chris Gobrecht facetiously said. “That was an improvement.”
The Bulldog starters jumped out to a 10–2 lead early on in the game, and didn’t look back from there. They aggressively attacked the basket from the get-go, shown by their 16 total free throw attempts in the first half, making 11 of them en route to a big 37–15 lead at halftime.
However, the Elis went cold to start the second half, as Army used a 15–3 run to pull within 10.
“We just weren’t shooting very well,” Gobrecht said. “We’ve got to make those shots.”
The Bulldogs shot only 20.6 percent in the second half, making only seven of 34 attempts.
Nevertheless, it was team captain and guard Ashley Carter ’10 who, besides notching seven points, six rebounds, and two steals, limited Army second-leading scorer and point guard Nalini Hawkins to 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
Forward Melissa Colborne ’10, the two-time All-Ivy honoree, improved upon last Friday’s six-point, four-turnover performance, leading the way for the Bulldogs with 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting. Forward Michelle Cashen ’12 had yet another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds along with three steals.
Guards Yoyo Greenfield ’11 and Megan Vasquez ’13, who had helped spark the Bulldog comeback against Holy Cross, struggled with a combined seven points on 2-for-10 shooting. Vasquez was tripped up midway through the first half and appeared to have injured her ankle, leaving the game. However, she did return to play in the second half.
Guard Aarica West ’13, who also had helped spark the comeback against Holy Cross, did not play because of a knee injury suffered during Friday’s game. While MRI results have yet to be released, West said she is getting better.
Gobrecht said she expected the team to make great improvements, especially in their shooting, as the season moves along. The incorporation of freshmen players and injured players later on in the season should lead to better play in future games, she said.
“We’re going to get better,” forward Victoria Perez ’11 said. “Everyone’s going to come together.”
The Elis next face Arizona State on Tuesday at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Arizona State is currently ranked seventh in the nation by the ESPN/USA Today Poll, the only currently ranked team that the Elis will play this season.
“We just want to approach it as a great learning experience,” Gobrecht said.