The Observer, February 10, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 16
Sluggish first half slows Lady Spartans against Brandeis
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The retro uniforms of Mather College, the solid crowd support from current students and alumni, and buzz around Throwback Weekend combined to create an inspirational atmosphere for the women's basketball team this weekend. Just as their pre-game chant asks, the Lady Spartans came out fired up.
"It was awesome," senior guard Amber Hammell said as she described the home court atmosphere at Adelbert Gym. "We get a lot of energy from the crowd, and in the UAA, you need all the help you can get."
Despite their best efforts, the team still fell to two of the elite teams in the country. On Friday, the Spartans battled the 11th-ranked Violets of New York University in Adelbert Gymnasium, and the highly touted Violets came away victorious with a 74-63 win. Despite shooting just 26.2 percent from the field in the opening half, the Spartans trailed by just one point, 32-31, after the first 20 minutes of play. The Spartan defense kept things close in the first half by forcing 15 NYU turnovers, and senior guard Amber Hammell scored 11 of her game-high 26 points to pace Case. The Violets led by as many as eight points in the first half thanks to a convincing 31-20 rebounding edge and a balanced scoring attack.
A strong surge out of the locker room gave Case its first lead since 7:12 remaining in the first half. Two Hammell free throws gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the game, a four-point margin with 14:25 remaining in the game. With 8:07 remaining in the game, the score was tied at 57. However, the Violets finished strong, with a 17-4, to set the final score.
For the game, the Spartans shot just 29.5 percent from the field compared to 46.2 percent by NYU. The Violets also had a 52-39 rebounding edge for the game and had three players score in double figures. NYU also had major contributions from their bench as they outscored the Spartan reserves, 29-17.
Sunday, Brandeis came into town ranked 10th in the country and the Spartans again battled an elite team down to the wire before falling to the Judges, 58-52.
The Spartan shooting woes continued in the opening half of game two during Throwback Weekend as Case shot just 30.8 percent from the floor while missing all five of its three-point attempts. Case's top two leading scorers, Hammell and junior guard Dana Dempsey, were held scoreless in the opening stanza as Case trailed 31-21 heading into the locker room. Leading the way for Case was senior forward Andrea Haylett, who scored eight points off of the bench. The Spartan defense forced 10 turnovers in the first half, but Case was guilty of nine of their own. Brandeis was led by nine points from Amanda DeMartino, who hit three shots from behind the arc.
Case cut into the Brandeis lead in the second half behind strong defense. Case forced eight additional turnovers by the Judges and held the visitors to 28 percent shooting. When sophomore guard LaVonne Sherald hit a layup with 38 seconds remaining in the game, Case trailed by just four points. But Brandeis hit four straight free throw attempts to clinch the victory.
Looking back at both games, the ladies believe they were two games that they could have won. Hammell indicated that earlier losses to Washington University and Wheeling Jesuit were the only two losses of the season in which the Spartans were overmatched. Nonetheless, the Spartans are still searching for ways to turn those winnable defeats into actual victories.
"We're just trying to work through it with effort and hard work," Hammell said. "Coach [Jacki Windon] says that if you work hard, you'll put yourself in a position to win, and that's what we're trying to do."
The Lady Spartans continue their tough UAA schedule on the road this weekend as they travel to St. Louis to try to avenge that earlier loss to Washington tonight. On Sunday, the women will play their last road game of the season at the University of Chicago.
