Last week the Shorewomen took on two tough Centennial Conference foes: first Muhlenberg College on Wednesday, January 17 and then Haverford College on Saturday, January 20.
Washington welcomed the Mules in hopes of picking up their first conference win of the season. Throughout the game, the Mules dominated, the Shorewomen but the ladies were able to slowly catch up their lead in the second half.
In the first half, the Mules were ahead by 16 points, 44-28. In the second half, the Shorewomen stepped up their game and brought the score within a five-point difference with 4:00 left in regulation. Their hard fight fell just short as the Mules defeated the Shorewomen 78-69.
The Shorewomen were led by top scorers freshman Katie Piringer, junior Allyson Britton, and senior Katie Bierzonski who scored 23, 12, and 10 points respectively. Freshman Karen Simos contributed with five assists.
The loss pushed the Shorewomen's conference record to 0-5 while the Mules went over the .500% winning mark at 3-2.
After the action on the court with Muhlenberg, Britton said, "we did not come out strong enough [today] and we were down by a lot in the first half."
Britton is right. The Shorewomen shot a meager 34.6% from the floor in the first half (9-for-26) while the Mules shot a strong 16-for-32 (50%) from the floor.
"Because we dug ourselves into a hole, we made it hard for ourselves in the second half," added Britton. "We have to get better at playing to our potential in both halves. We know that we could have defeated Muhlenberg, but it took us too long to figure it out."
Three days later Washington looked to its trip to Haverford, PA for their first conference win. The Shorewomen not only earned their first Centennial Conference win by crushing the Fords 66-44, they also ended their current four game losing streak. "We ended our losing streak with Haverford and it was an awesome team effort," said Britton.
From the start, the Shorewomen controlled the tempo of the game as they led after the first half, 36-26. With this lead, they had an advantage and in the second half, unlike the Muhlenburg game, Washington continued their strong play and ended up with the victory.
"The entire team got to play and we really shot the ball well," said Bierzonski. "In past games, our shooting percentage has not been that good, but that changed in Saturday's game."
The fantastic duo of Bierzonski & Britton, also known as "B&B," combined to score 25 points and grab 20 rebounds in the win.
Individually, Britton led the Shorewomen with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Simos contributed with 13 points and four assists and senior Kerry Lomax chipped in with 12 points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Bierzonski had a huge day on the glass as she grabbed 15 rebounds and also scored nine points. Junior Janine Morehead also played a big role on the boards picking up eight rebounds."We just have to be more consistent and play with enthusiasm all the time because we have a lot of talent," said Lomax. "For the rest of the season, we just have to play with confidence and we will come out on top. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain because most of the pressure is placed on our opponents."
After being a major point contributor in the past few games, Britton said, "I think I have been more relaxed and confident with my game.
I have been exploring many positions and I just feel very comfortable on the court with my teammates in general."The Shorewomen now stand at 5-9 overall and are 1-5 in conference play.
They look to pick up their second Centennial win tomorrow when they host Franklin & Marhall College at 1 p.m.300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782