SPRINGFIELD – After taking a 10 point lead through the first quarter in Tuesday night’s affair against Worcester State, the Springfield College women’s basketball team never looked back.
Led by Amanda Leary’s 18 points and Angela Czeremcha’s double-double, the Pride defeated the Lancers 78-57 in their eighth contest of the season.
Despite the performance, head coach Naomi Graves had mixed emotions.
“There were moments of brilliance,” Graves said. “And then there were moments where we forgot how to play.”
Graves acknowledged that having a big lead early puts players in a precarious position, especially with the variance in lineups that took place throughout the final three quarters.
“It’s hard to play a team up that early, right?” she said. “Our kids showed a lot of composure. I thought they were really positive about changing lineups as much as we did.”
A big reason for the Pride’s offensive explosion was the ability to turn defensive stops into points. They recorded 34 points off turnovers, with 15 of them in transition.
“When we run we’re tough [to stop],” Graves said. “People want us in the half court, and we’re getting better at that. But when we really run and we move the ball [in transition] we are hard to beat.”
Czeremcha showed her value on both ends of the court against Worcester State – tallying 15 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
“I just really tried to stay locked in,” Czeremcha said. “We knew we weren’t playing our best, so I was just trying to be that person on the floor to pick up the energy.”
It marked her fourth straight double-double for the standout junior, who leads the Pride in both points and rebounds per game.
There were many positives for the Pride: they shot over 50 percent from the field, scored a season high in points and led from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
But turnovers were something that could not be ignored.
Despite winning by 21, Springfield committed 17 turnovers.
“I think we were just making the extra pass [that wasn’t needed],” Graves said. “Usually when someone stops you, you give one more [pass]. We were trying to create one more pass.”
Due to the big lead, Graves was able to get many players involved. She was pleased with the way that the veterans, like Czeremcha, led the younger players late into the fourth.
“Czeremcha’s leadership at the end of the game was great,” she said. “I thought she did a really good job. The leadership that she’s presenting right now is amazing.”
The Pride improved to 7-1 on the season with the win, and will travel to Wenham, Mass. on Saturday, Dec. 9 to take on the Gordon College Fighting Scots at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Katherine Calderón