By Luke Hornblower

Contributing Writer

After an opening day loss at Hamilton College on Nov. 18, the women’s basketball team defeated St. Joseph’s College on Nov. 21 and Rhode Island College Tuesday to improve to 2-1. 

The 75-63 loss to Hamilton came as a surprise to the team in light of last year’s nine point win over the Continentals. Head Coach Kate Mullen, while not trying to cheapen the Continental’s efforts, said she was surprised that Hamilton played as well as it did.

"[The first half] was perhaps the best half of basketball I’ve [ever] seen them play," Mullen said. "I’d love to play them again."

In the following game against St. Joseph’s College, the Cardinals shot an impressive 56% from the field in the last fifteen minutes to run away with a 77-48 victory. Coach Mullen recognized Shaleen Bowman’s ’03 strong defensive performance as key to the victory. Bowman held St. Joe’s leading scorer to only five points by causing her to foul out early in the second half. 

In the next game against Rhode Island College, Wesleyan led from the outset and never let up. The Cardinals finished with a decisive 71-36 win.

This season marks the first year in which the winner of a year-end New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament will receive an automatic bid to the National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championship. Without a winning season since the 1994-95 campaign, this season’s Cardinals said they believe this could be the year they make a run for the NESCAC title. 

"This year’s team is a little bit tougher [than last year’s 10-14 team]," said Kamica Lewis ’03. "We have a really strong bench and are in really great shape."

The loss of several key players from last year’s team doesn’t seem to shake the team’s confidence too much.

"This season looks like it will be one of our best ever," said Shay Bernius ’02. "[Although] we graduated our starting point guard [Joan Altman ’00] and Lynn St. Martin [’00], our go-to player, this year we are a lot deeper." 

Much of this confidence comes from the recent infusion of talent in the last two years. The Cardinals’ roster is colored by five talented frosh who boast outstanding high-school
credentials and could give the Cardinals some much-needed support. Ashley Elia, Meeghan Ward, Liz Walsh, Jenny Hipscher and Amy Posocco all were regional all-star performers at
their respective high schools.

"We recruited freshmen from winning programs, and a few of them will be impact players right away," Bernius said. "Our goal is to win the Little Three, and this year it’s entirely realistic."

The team’s depth is illustrated by the strong performances of key veterans. Six of the seven returning letterwinners led the team in scoring at least once during the 1999-00 campaign and
four left their mark as game-high rebounders. This scattering of scoring and rebounding gives Wesleyan talent and balance throughout the lineup.

Returning starters from last year’s team include Co-captains Whitney Ebbeson ’02 and Leslie Smith ’01 as well as Bernius. Three other 

letterwinners, Allyson Miller ’02, Kamica Lewis ’03 and Shaleen Bowman ’03 also top the team’s scoring list. These six accounted for over 60 percent of last year’s scoring.

With this plenitude of talent, Coach Mullen will have the luxury of going well into her bench without a significant drop in talent.

Excellence has been the theme on the minds of many of the players. Coach Mullen stressed the idea that the team must not be distracted by the win and loss columns, but rather concentrate on the quality of its play.

The Cardinals will have to improve from the free-throw line in order to truly excel. Last year the players hit under 60 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. 

Amy Posocco ’04, who scored over 1000 points in her high school career, said if they remain focused on remaining consistent, the Cards will succeed. She feels it is of "cardinal importance" to focus on remaining consistent throughout the season.

"I think that if our team can achieve and sustain this type of excellence... throughout the whole season, then we will be able to accomplish most if not all of our goals this year without any
regrets," Posocco said. 

Coach Mullen said she is optimistic. She said there is a sense of team spirit motivating the team to improve, even when things aren’t going as well as expected. 

"Even when it doesn’t work, I can see that they are trying to 

play together as a team," Mullen said. "I see that they have the ability to get better each game. I think you’re only going to improve when you make that effort."

The Cardinals will take on Suffolk University tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Gymnasium.