Though the women’s basketball team enters February with a below .500 record, the Retrievers spent the back half of January on a hot streak that saw them rebounding from 0-3 to 4-4 in conference play. After falling for three games to begin January, the Retrievers pulled out monumental victories against several America East Conference rivals before eventually falling on the road against University of New Hampshire to end the month.
Over that stretch, senior guard Taylor McCarley has taken the reins for her final route against the AEC competition. Her 15.8 points per game over that stretch leads the team and her 5.4 assists per game during that same stretch further shows high marks for the senior and places her at fourth in the conference in both stats.
The Retrievers have also shown they will continue to impress for the future, as freshman guard Tyler Moore picked up Retriever Athlete of the Week back in early December for a string of impressive performances. Over the course of the season she has picked up an impressive 10.3 points per game, emphasized with a phenomenal 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Moore has been impressive in combination with fellow freshman guard Te’yJah Oliver, who boasts a phenomenal 11 points per game and 40 percent with shots from outside. The young guard combo shows incredible promise for both themselves, and the future of the team.
The Retrievers are starting February out with a difficult stretch of games, including home games against Binghamton University and the University of Maine. The Retrievers are currently tied for fifth in the AEC with 4-4 conference records, while Binghamton is tied for third with the University at Albany with a 5-3 record, meaning the Retrievers will have to come up big in both games if they want to enter postseason play strong.
Though the women’s basketball team has had their ups and downs through stretches through the season, their combination of young edge and keen and veteran leadership have allowed the team to develop and grow through the season, and they will surely approach the end of the season with the same grit that they have always represented on the court.
