A new season means another opportunity for success.
Keene State College’s women’s basketball team is working hard to achieve their ultimate goal: receiving a Little East Conference Championship. The women’s team is currently 15-2, with its only loss coming from a conference game against University of Southern Maine.
Senior guard and forward Kelsey Cognetta said, “We had a big lead [in this game] and we got too comfortable. No team is ever going to be easy.”
With new faces and familiar ones, nearly every player is determined to get to the Little East Conference Championship game.
Photo by Luke Stergiou / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
In one of their most recent bouts, Keene State College Women’s Basketball defeated Plymouth State University (PSU) with a score of 76-54, for their fifteenth win of the season.
This game marked KSC’s fourth straight win in less than a month.
KSC was led by junior forward Stephanie D’Annolfo with 16 points, and Plymouth’s Taylor Perry scored 14 for her team.
D’Annolfo also had ten rebounds, while Amanda Petrow added 12 points and 11 boards.
Sophomore guard Sandi Purcell led KSC with four assists.
PSU finished more of its shots; however, rebounds and turnovers played a big role in this game.
KSC was able to get 23 second-chance points and PSU gave up the ball off of turnovers 24 times, while KSC kept its number to a mere ten, according to keeneowls.com.
“That’s why it’s important to keep up the intensity,” Cognetta said.
This year, KSC boasts seven first-years, keeping the team young and the program fresh.
First-year forward Valerie Martin said, “The excitement of coming into a program that was so welcoming, made the transition from high school to college basketball an easier one.”
“All of the girls were welcoming and I come from a big high school, so that was helpful too,” Martin said. She added, “Everyone has been so understanding.”
The practices so far this season consist of upbeat drills, scrimmaging and a walkthrough of their opponent the day before a big game.
Photo by Luke Stergiou / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
“We do the same thing the day before our game too. We always make sure to review our opponents,” Martin said.
The Owls will be tested in seven more conference games to conclude the remainder of the 2015-2016 season.
This season’s complete schedule features 12 total conference games and nine non-conference games.
Many players are unavailable to comment at this time due to their busy schedules.
The players and their coach have many things to look forward to according to Martin.
“The ultimate goal, of course, is to get that LEC Championship. The program hasn’t had one in a while,” Cognetta said.
Keene State College recently traveled to Universuty of Massachusetts Dartmouth. KSC fell to UMD 60-56.
This game marked their second loss on the season, making the team 15-2.
Mary can be contacted at mcurtin@kscequinox.com