Author: Sharen Cervantes
It’s often said that a team that suffers together stays together. There’s no better definition of “suffering” than having to stay at school during what would otherwise be five glorious weeks of utter sloth.
The Oxy Women’s Basketball Team is no stranger to such a situation. While their fellow students enjoyed winter break at home, these dedicated Tigers took to the court, challenging rival teams in eleven games played in a five-week period. Of the eleven games played, only two resulted in disappointing losses for the Tigers.
The first game in a second round of conference games, played on Jan. 31 against the University of Redlands Bulldogs, followed precedent. Taking place on the court at Rush Gymnasium, the game opened with the Tigers scoring 15 points to the Bulldogs’ 3. By the end of the game, the team managed to secure a 66-50 win against its opponents.
While always exhilarating, victory was even sweeter this time around because of Oxy’s previous loss to the University of Redlands. Determined not to let a prior defeat weaken its offense or intimidate its players, the team made its way to the court with a vengeance. At the end of the night, the scoreboard favored Oxy, proving that determination really does pay off in the end.
“It was a well deserved win,” player Dior Williams (sophomore) said when asked about this game versus the previous one. “We battled harder this time, [and] Oxy came ready to play from the tip-off…and protected our home court.”
Teammate Stephanie Babij (sophomore) agrees. “Our game [two Saturdays ago]…marked a lot of improvement for us as a team and put us in a good position to finish out the conference,” she said. “It was a great start to the second round of conference games and hopefully we can carry that through the rest of our games this season.”
Indeed, the goal in all of the Tigers’ minds seems to be placing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The game played against Redlands brought them one step closer to their aim, as Oxy’s win marked a victory in a heated battle for second place in the SCIAC. From this point forward, every won game will lead the team one step closer to a conference win, and these Tigers don’t forget it.
“Our goal is to win the SCIAC for the second year in a row, and come out of the post-season tournament victorious, with a trip to the NCAA tournament,” Madeline Rose (sophomore) said. “We’re taking this season game by game, not over-looking any team, and coming out ready to play every day, making sure we do all of the little things correctly along the way…so that we’ll be ready for anything come March 1.”
The Tigers’ strutted their stuff again last Thursday, Feb. 5 in a game against Cal Lutheran University. Ever the confident Tigers, the players prepared for a victory even before stepping foot on the opponents’ court.
“Thursday is going to be a tough game that we are really excited for, [since] Cal Lu has a good offense and a few dominant players,” Madeline Rose said prior to the game. “We’ve scouted them closely and prepared for them all week, so we’re looking forward to a big win.”
A big win is exactly what awaited these Tigers on Thursday evening: Occidental managed to secure a 59-34 victory, a win that pushed the Tigers into a first-place tie with La Verne University in the SCIAC standings. Needless to say, the team was jubilant.
“We won by 15 points!” said Brittany Mally (junior). “We played okay the first half and picked it up the second half, and our defense was great.”
The Tigers finished off a busy week with a game against Pomona-Pitzer on Feb. 7. Because the ultimate goal is to win the conference, a victory at the game was crucial, as voiced by senior Asha Jordan.
“We are trying to go undefeated the second round of conference” she said. “Every game is critical from here on out.”
This understanding is perhaps what fueled another monumental win Saturday night, with the Tigers securing an 89-61 victory, allowing the Tigers to remain tied for first place with La Verne in the SCIAC.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
