The Cabrini women’s basketball team lost its season opener to Eastern University 72-61 in the Battle of Eagle Road. The loss puts the Lady Cavaliers at 0-1 to start the season.
It was senior forward Amber Keys who led the way for the Blue and White. Keys dominated the Eastern Eagles scoring 25 points to go along with a career high 16 rebounds and a team leading five steals.
In the first half, Keys started off red-hot connecting on 56 percent shooting leading to 14 of her 25 points. With early production from Keys, the Lady Cavs went into halftime with a 30-26 lead.
As a team, the Blue and White managed to force 14 turnovers in the first half, eight of which were steals.
In the second half, Keys continued her career night by adding 11 points and eight rebounds. But it wasn’t enough to hold on to the lead. The Cavaliers struggled from the field as they only shot 30.9 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
Freshman Erin Dodds finished second on the team with 11 total points in her debut after going 4-12 from the field. Senior Megan Decker finished with eight points and nine rebounds but also struggled with the rest of the team after going 3-12 from floor.
Junior Dana Peterson provided a backbone for the Lady Cavs; she added nine points on 4-9 shooting. But it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
The Cavs largest lead was seven points in the beginning of the second half. But the Cavs struggled to build on their lead due to missed free throw opportunities, missed defensive assignments and turnovers. As a team the Lady Cavs shot 15-25 from the free throw line and accounted for 20 turnovers.
“I think personally I need to do a better job at the free throw line,” Keys said. “I think as a team we just need to communicate with one another, which will be a key to us gelling defensively.
The Blue and White had trouble defending Eastern’s Taylor Price. Price ended with 24 points, 20 of which were in the second half. Gina DiDomenico was second in scoring for the Eastern Eagles with 20 points. She found her rhythm in the second half, pouring in 14 points.
“We are a team that prides ourselves on defense,” Keys said. “We did not get the job done defensively. We never want to give up 70 points to a team that’s just unacceptable to us.”
The Blue and White are confident that they can come out and fix their mistakes. “If we do the little things on the court I have no doubt we will get a win on Wednesday Nov. 19,” Keys said.
The Lady Cavaliers look to redeem themselves after their loss as they get set to take on Widener University on the road. Game time is set Wednesday, Nov. 19th on 6 p.m.
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