 "Photo: Josh Goldman | Student Life")
Washington University’s women’s basketball team never trailed and saw 16 players score in its 81-42 thrashing of Concordia University (Ill.) to begin the 2008-2009 season.
The No. 6 Bears were led by senior forward Jaimie McFarlin and sophomore guard Alex Hoover, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. McFarlin, a co-captain, recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds while Hoover was 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from behind the three-point line. Hoover also dished out five assists in just 17 minutes.
“Opening at home is always exciting, and I think we executed our game plan well. We learned a lot about ourselves. The team’s depth, team speed and basketball IQ were tested throughout the game,” McFarlin said.
With the blowout apparent midway through the first half, Head Coach Nancy Fahey used the game as an opportunity to play 18 players. All but two players scored, but among the reserves, freshman forward Brianne Monahan received the loudest cheers from her teammates and the crowd. Monahan scored eight points on 4-4 shooting and grabbed two rebounds in just eight minutes of play.
“The important thing is to use this to our advantage, and so it was a great way to start the season with everyone getting in and contributing to the win,” Hoover said. She added that Fahey had been stressing the importance of the team’s depth all season.
“I think it will be a challenge for teams to keep up with us because we will always be able to have fresh legs in the game,” senior co-captain Jill Brandt said. Brandt scored nine points in the game.
Also scoring their first collegiate points were freshmen Brittany Hasselbring, Dani Hoover and Miki Carter.
Marche Smith led Concordia in scoring with 14 points. The team, however was held to 25 percent shooting. Concordia only committed six turnovers but did not possess the ball for very long.
The Red and Green defense outmuscled the Concordia offense, grabbing 53 rebounds and blocking seven shots. While Wash. U. also committed more turnovers, the team spent most of the game scoring in transition and did not need to use its half-court offense for extended periods of the game.
Even with the blowout victory, the game still exposed areas for improvement. “At some points during the game our offense was not running as smoothly as it should, and defensively we had a few breakdowns, but overall the team played pretty well,” Hoover said.
The Lady Bears continue their homestead on Friday with the Washington University Tip-Off Tournament. Wash. U. will face Central College at 7 p.m. after No. 3 DePauw and No. 10 Illinois-Wesleyan square off at 5 p.m. The winners will play Saturday at 4 p.m. after the 2 p.m. consolation game.
“We host one of the most competitive tournaments in the nation with the Tip-Off each year. This year is no different. The team is always looking forward to a challenge, and a history has developed between all of the teams, heightening the competitive spirit,” McFarlin said.
If Wash. U. defeats Central College, the women will have the chance to defeat two teams that they lost to last season. The loss against DePauw knocked Wash. U. out of the NCAA tournament in the second round.
“No matter who we play, we have to come out with the same killer instinct that we did against Concordia. We are not focusing on the sense of revenge for past seasons. We can’t let those emotions come into play,” Brandt said.
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