By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
Springfield College women’s basketball took care of business at home against Albertus Magnus on Saturday afternoon, moving to 7-3 on the season after defeating the Falcons 84-61 in a game where they never trailed.
The Pride opened the game up on a 9-0 run, forcing Albertus Magnus to call an early timeout. It was smooth sailing from there on, as a blend of strong defense and dominant play in the paint allowed the Pride to cruise to their fifth straight win.
Springfield head coach Naomi Graves believes this hot start went a long way toward setting the tone for the rest of the game.
“It was huge,” Graves said. “When you step on a court, you let people know this is Springfield’s place, it’s our den. It’s the Pride den. This is our house and this is how we play, and this is what you have to worry about. I’m impressed with how we came out.”
Graves thinks the Pride had to get back into a rhythm after they spent over a week off, but she was still happy with how the team played.
“We haven’t played in a long time,” Graves said. “So we were a little rusty in some things, but I thought we did a really nice job of setting the tone early.”
The star of the game for the Pride was junior guard Amanda Leary. On top of a season-high 26 points, Leary also stuffed the stat sheet with 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in a complete, authoritative performance.
Graves believes Leary’s mindset played a key role in her impressive showing.
“Tenacity, aggressiveness and confidence,” Graves said. “A huge amount of confidence in her shot. I thought today was Amanda Leary’s day. She was the player today. I know others had a great game, but I thought Amanda Leary played outstanding today.”
The Pride as a group embodied that aggressive spirit throughout the game, and it was seen in their work on their interior with both scoring and rebounding.
Springfield scored 46 points in the paint and earned 18 trips to the free throw line. On the glass, the Pride outrebounded the Falcons by an eye-popping 57-33 margin.
Senior forward Angie Czeremcha made her typical contributions in these two departments, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds on 8-10 shooting in just 24 minutes.
Graves thinks the Pride’s work in the paint was a key part of their win, and noted how the team planned on getting the ball inside early and often.
“I think we had strong interior play,” Graves said. “Our game plan was to pound it inside because we had a mismatch.”
For the Falcons, senior guard Caitlyn Scott was the offensive catalyst. Scott didn’t spend one minute on the bench and scored a game-high 32 points, but Springfield’s ability to successfully defend everyone else on the floor allowed it to withstand Scott’s outpouring of points.
The Pride were able to achieve the offensive variety that eluded the Falcons, with five players notching eight or more points. Ball movement was another element that was clicking for the Pride, as 24 of their 33 baskets were assisted.
Graves made a point of this stat, and believes this passing points to a team that is playing the right way.
“We had more assists than turnovers, and we did an amazing job of sharing the ball,” Graves said. “I think when you see assist to turnover ratios and you see the amount of assists we have, it means that the kids are playing together.”
With the holidays approaching, Springfield is set for a couple of weeks off. The team will be back in action in Blake Arena on New Years Eve at 1 p.m. against Middlebury as part of the Naismith Classic.
(Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)