The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Sports February 23, 2007

Yeowomen Basketball Has Victory and Defeat in NCAC
 
Good Hustle: Junior Roneisha Kinney saves a loose ball for Oberlin in the game against Earlham.
 

The Oberlin College women’s basketball team finished its regular season last Saturday with a 63-69 conference victory over the Quakers of Earlham College, earning it the seventh seed in the North Coast Atlantic Conference tournament.

Oberlin was fired up in the first half of play and so were its shooters, hitting five three pointers to take a 15-8 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the half.

Earlham fought back when first-year Shontavia Davis scored, cutting the lead to three points heading into the intermission. Oberlin continued its tireless effort in the second half as senior captain Jessie Oram took over, scoring 11 of her 17 points in her final game at Phillips Gymnasium.

“I couldn’t have written a better script for my last home game,” said Oram. “Having all my family, my high school basketball coach, and all my friends... [see us] play at such a high level was the most satisfying feeling a senior could want.”

Along with her 17 points, Oram grabbed 10 boards, dished out five assists and snagged three steals: a typical day at the office.

Coach Christa Champion had mixed feelings about Oram’s last performance: “It was a little bittersweet. She had a fantastic all-around game, which was beautiful to watch. However, it’s also a little sad, because we are really going to miss her, especially that jump hook of hers...That shot has been money in the bank for us the past three years.”

The crowd went bananas as the Yeowomen went on a 9-0 run to take a 12-point advantage over the Quakers with 11:30 remaining in the game. Davis and Tasha Merrill helped Earlham get back in the game, pulling their team within three points with 1:30 remaining. Oberlin would not let up; they were 6-8 from the free throw line, which sealed the win.

Oberlin had other great individual performances. Sophomore guard Alyssa Clark had a double-double, scoring 12 points and coming down with 11 rebounds. First-year Alicia Smith had 11 points, going 3-4 behind the arc. Other contributors were first-year Monica Zell, who scored nine points and sophomore Kira Rivera, who was 7-10 from the free-throw line. Davis scored 20 points and shot 9-12 from the line. Sophomore Tasha Merrill of Earlham also contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“Saturday was a great team win. We came out with a lot of energy, and obviously a lot of enthusiasm, and that enabled us to get the job done at both ends of the court,” said Champion. “Defensively, we followed our game plan well, and were able to neutralize their quickness and drives. Offensively, we really looked for each other, had great passing, and on top of that had a great shooting percentage.”

The game was also good preparation for the playoff game against Denison.

“The win over Earlham felt great. We were finally rewarded for the hard work we have put in this season,” said first-year Alicia Smith. “I think that it also gives us some steam as we go into the Denison game. To beat them, we are going to have to play really intense defense, smart offense and focus on having fun because we seem to play better when we try and have some fun out there.”

The Denison game was a different story for the Yeowomen, as they failed to maintain their momentum from the Earlham game, losing to the Big Red 63-94 in the first round of the NCAC playoffs.

In the first half, Denison took an early 26-10 advantage with nine minutes remaining in the half. The Yeowomen fought back pulling to within 11 points with six minutes remaining. Denison continued to hold Oberlin at bay, extending its lead to 42-29 heading into the intermission.

In the second half, Denison went on an immediate 29-15 run, taking their lead to 71-44 with eight minutes remaining in the game. Oberlin fought hard but could not get much started, as they struggled on both ends of the floor. Denison had too much firepower in the end, and Oberlin could not find a way to stop them offensively.   

Junior forward Roneisha Kinney led Oberlin in scoring with 15 points and snagged five rebounds and two steals. Rivera also had a solid night with 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Despite the loss, the positive yet emotional outcome of the night was that it was Oram’s final game in an Oberlin uniform. Oram scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and had two blocks. In her four years at Oberlin she scored 1,369 points in her career, and became the fifth athlete on the women’s basketball team to score over 1,000 points. She averaged 15.4 points a game, she was fourth in rebounding, sixth in field goal percentage, second in free throw percentage, and fourth overall in block shots. Denison was led by senior Kristen Sheffield, who scored 23 points and grabbed 10 boards.

With all but one player returning next season, the future of women’s basketball looks bright.


 
 
   

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