Seniors Van Gulik and Wise Play Last Game
The Pomona-Pitzer women’s basketball team lost its final match of the season in the Voelkel Gymnasium before a crowd of 470 spectators to their cross-campus colleagues from CMS by a final tally of 70 to 47, thanks to some swell shooting on the part of the Athenas, who scored on 52 percent of their tries from the field. For the Sagehens, the loss capped a season in which the ladies achieved four victories to 21 defeats, and marked the final collegiate match for Pomona seniors Emily Van Gulik and Katie Wise.
Van Gulik played a particularly clever match, throwing seven of her 11 tries into the basket for a team-best 15 points while also thrice thieving the ball from her unsuspecting opponents and committing only one turnover. Neha Savant PO ’14 also performed admirably, making five buckets for 13 points. The top ball player for the visiting Athenas was certainly Madeline Barnes SC ’14, whose crisp shooting of baskets electrified the crowd and resulted in 18 points for her team.
The outcome of the match hinged on the lackluster performance of the Sagehen ladies in the first half, when Pomona-Pitzer was outscored by 20 points, due in no small part to the Athenas performing ten more attempts at the goal. Indeed, the Saghens were often able to move the ball to the attacking end of the court, only to struggle with their spacing and ball movement, thereby gumming up the offensive works. This ultimately led to a total of 25 losses of possession, compared to 18 for the Stags. The second half was a closer affair, thanks to a heightened defensive prowess on the part of the Sagehen players. But the Athenas maintained their acumen at preventing scores and sustained a lead of not fewer than 20 points throughout the second half. The highlight of the rivalry match indubitably occurred with 30 seconds remaining when Pomona-Pitzer coach Kathy Connell removed Van Gulik and Wise, who were treated to standing ovations by the crowd for their combined eight years of play for the team. It was a bittersweet moment for all involved.
Facebook Comments