The Lady Cavs basketball team crushed fellow CSAC opponents, the Lady Falcons from Cedar Crest College, by a score of 75-41 at the Nerney Field House on Monday, Jan. 17. This victory was crucial because not only did it end a two-game losing streak for Cabrini, but it was also the first victory on home court of the season.
While Cabrini shot a season high of 43.7 percent from the field, the real name of the game was passing. The Lady Cavs racked up a season high of 25 assists in their domination over Cedar Crest, a promising statistic for the rest of the season.
“The 25 assists were the most we’ve recorded in a single game this year and one of the best parts of this victory,” Robert Drysdale, assistant coach, said. “Those assists were so big because we were able to get the entire team involved. If we can keep that going, things are really going to be looking up for us.”
The 25 assists led to smart shots by Cabrini, which is part of the reason the team was able to score a season high 75 points.
It was obvious in the first half that Cabrini was on an offensive roll by scoring 23 unanswered points and finishing the half by a dominating score of 44-16. Cedar Crest didn’t record their first point until over halfway into the first half of play.
“It is definitely unusual for the team to score so many points so early in the game,” Tom McElroy, father of forward Maggie McElroy, said during the intermission. “Hopefully this play during the first half isn’t just a sign of great teamwork during this game but also in the games to come. The team needed some confidence after the last game so this could be a great spark.”
Brittany Sandone, freshman guard, drove the offensive machine for Cabrini with 16 points, recording 13 of those in the first half alone. She also recorded three 3-pointers in the first half and added one more in the second for good measure.
“The shots that we got early really helped us build our confidence and that bleeds down through the bench,” Drysdale said. “When we start to get good baskets, everyone starts to feed off it.”
Two other Cabrini stars, Maggie McElroy, freshman forward, and Laura Caron, junior guard, both recorded eight points. McElroy dominated the glass with seven rebounds and Caron led the Cavaliers in steals with four.
Twice during the game, Cabrini led by as much as 36 points. This incredible lead enabled the bench to come in during the second half and get some good looks on the court. The bench was able to record 33 points in the victory.
“It felt great to get camaraderie on the court tonight,” Julie Bonomo, senior guard, said. “We were able to build our chemistry through a lot of players being able to get playing time and working hard.”
As a captain, Bonomo was also very pleased to see the underclassmen step up and do well in this game. With eight freshmen on the roster, their play is crucial to the success of the program.
“Not only the freshmen but everyone has been working to their fullest potential to get a win,” Marykate McCann, freshman guard, said. “There are a lot of freshmen which is great because it will help us get used to playing with each other and that will help us in the future.”
While Cabrini was able to dominate Cedar Crest, it was not without a solid fight from a few of the members of the Lady Falcons. Lizzy Sunderhaus, junior forward for the Falcons, earned a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Fellow Falcon Leann Wallower, senior forward, was also able to add 11 points.
One of the ways Cabrini was able to hold off these strong performances by Sunderhaus and Wallower were to eliminate turnovers. According to Bonomo, the team usually averages about 20 turnovers per game, but against Cedar Crest, the Cavaliers only committed 12.
Part of this victory can be chalked up to working really hard in practice over the past two weeks, as many of the team members would say. However, no matter how the victory was earned, it was crucial just to get the win for momentum. The Lady Cavs have two big games coming up against CSAC opponents Immaculata and Centenary. Cabrini is currently 3-2 in the conference so these games are clutch if the Lady Cavs want to remain in the thick of the playoff picture.
“Our next few games will be filled with a lot of emotion so this win shows how we can trust each other going into those big matches,” Bonomo said. “Our assists showed how willing we are to play as a team and I can honestly say this is the most unselfish team I’ve ever been on. If we can continue to work on that, it looks good for us.”
