The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Work on glass lifts Lady Spartans over Tartans
click to enlarge
The Lady Spartans split a pair on the road to UAA conference foes last weekend, beating Carnegie Mellon 64-48 on Friday and losing to Rochester 73-55 on Sunday. The team finished the weekend with a 9-7 overall record (2-3 conference), sitting in fifth place in the eight team UAA.
The Spartans took control of the game against Carnegie Mellon early, grabbing a 14-4 lead with 12:26 left in the first half. Senior guard Amber Hammel put up eight of her game-high 17 points in the first half while sophomore forward Ashley Horton grabbed nine rebounds as Case led 33-19 at the half.
The Spartans continued to pour it on in the second half, extending their lead to 47-28. Sophomore guard Mary Herendeen provided scoring off the bench, putting up eight of her 12 points after the intermission. The Tartans of Carnegie Mellon would never get closer than 11 points, as Case out-rebounded the opposition 42-26, led by Horton's 15 total boards, including 10 off the offensive glass. Horton leads the conference in offensive rebounding at 4.5 per game.
"Rebounding is about hard work and moving to get good position, said Horton. "That is something this team prided itself on last season and is something that we need to get back to."
The Spartans started strong against the Rochester Yellow Jackets in the Sunday tip-off, taking a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes. Rochester, tied for first place in the conference at 4-1 (13-3 overall), answered with a run of its own behind the scoring output of junior guard Danielle Muller, taking a 22-18 lead. The Spartans cut it to 28-27 before Rochester held Case scoreless for the final 3:46 of the first half, and the teams went into the locker room at 34-27.
The Yellow Jackets came out strong in the second half to take control of the game. A Rochester layup made it 46-29 at the 15:38 mark, capping a 11-2 scoring run. Muller scored 14 of her game-high 25 points in the second half, with Case never getting closer than 12 points the rest of the way. Horton led the Lady Spartans with 17 points and nine rebounds. Hammell added 10. Case lost most significantly in the turnover category, with 26 turnovers compared to Rochester's 16.
The Spartan will match up with 11th-ranked Brandeis University tonight in Boston before taking on 10th-ranked New York University on Sunday, also on the road. The Violets of NYU will then come to Case next Friday, Feb. 3 to tip-off the Spartan's first home game since Jan.15. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be followed by the men's game.
