Women's Hoops Team Gels Despite Recent Losses

Author: Emily Berlanstein

Over the past few weeks, the women's basketball team has been hard at work. While their results may not appear to compensate for the numerous games, grueling practices and an early return from the holiday break, Alexis Hollinger '05 commented, "Despite several losses, coach is really satisfied with the way we've been playing. We've come a long way since January 1st. We've been gaining momentum which we hope to carry throughout the remainder of our season."
Before vacation, the Panthers found the perfect outlet for exam stress: the Castleton State Cougars. Behind 17 points from rookie Christina Marshall-Parr, Middlebury crushed Castleton 83-42. The win, which included an overwhelming 43-15 second half, was a team effort, as Alexis Batten '04, Kristin Hanley '03 and Elyse Carlson '05 rounded out the box score with 16, 10 and 10 points, respectively. Kate Shillo '04 dominated the boards with 10 rebounds.
On Dec. 7, in what Williams' Coach Pat Manning describes as her team's "best defensive effort in two years," the Panthers fell to the Ephs, 63-40, in a non-league contest. Williams took the lead early and never allowed the Panthers to execute a comeback. The Ephs closed the first half with an 11-3 run, creating a 16-point spread at halftime.
The Panthers made a valiant effort in the second half, closing the lead to 12 with 6:44 left. Unfortunately, the Ephs' lead was never relinquished, as they answered with a 13-2 run. Carlson led the Panthers with a double-double, recording 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Panthers seemed to have left their mistakes against Williams in 2002, as they rang in the New Year with a 70-48 win over Norwich. The well-rested Panthers came out on fire, cruising to an early 29-16 lead. In the second half, the lead continued to grow to as many as 29 points. Hanley finished the game with 24 points on nine of fourteen shooting, in addition to seven rebounds. Carlson was an offensive threat once again, with 14 points.
Several days later, the Panthers traveled to Colby-Sawyer, where they suffered a heartbreaking 49-44 loss.
The Chargers were hot from the start, claiming an early 10-2 lead. The Panthers answered with a 7-0 run, but Colby-Sawyer recharged for a 27-16 halftime lead. In the second half, the Panthers shot an unimpressive 24 percent from the field. With 2:34 left, they were able to close the lead to 2, but Colby-Sawyer hung on for the win. Middlebury was led by Hanley, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Hollinger with nine points and 14 rebounds.
The week ended with another close game against Springfield College, which resulted in a 58-49 loss. The Panthers made an impressive 12-2 run late in the first half, but could not fend off the aggressive Pride. Hanley contributed 16 points and Wesley Hyatt '03 added 12 points and 14 rebounds.
According to team members, the losses do not reflect the squad's significant progress over the past few weeks.
"We're finally developing into a unit," said Hollinger. "As we continue to play well together, we'll continue to take steps forward."
Batten added, "We haven't let the losses get to us. Instead, we're using them to build to something greater as we head into league play." The Panthers will compete in their first league contest at Williams on Saturday. The Panthers will not return home until Jan. 24 when they play host to the always competetive Amherst College Lord Jeffs.