Women's basketball slides 3 times

Pick a name and hedge your bets. That's about how far the women's basketball team is from winning games. After dropping three in a row this week, including a 56-53 loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday, their record falls to 1-6. But the team is one consistent scorer away from reversing those numbers.

Coah Ann Gilbert has said time and again that anyone on her team can shoot the ball. The two go-to players that have developed so far in the year are first-years Ikeya Hillman and Monica Bush, both of whom are among the top ten scorers in the conference right now. Though still a loss, the 77-64 game Monday against the Wilberforce Bulldogs proved what happens when other players step up.

Four players were in double digits. First-year Chamia Peterson finished with 10 points and first-year Shakila Williams finished with 9 rebounds and a personal season high of 16 points.

"The most important thing that happened in that game is that Shakila stepped up," said Gilbert.

That's exactly the type of performance that has to come from the team, or one player in particular, if the win-loss percentage is going to change. The best teams in the NCAC all have at least three players averaging double or near-double digits.

There's no doubt that the Yeowomen are still in the formative stages of developing as a team. The next half of the season could be markedly different from this one, where players have still been struggling at times to find their role, and first-years were adjusting to the college game.

In the 72-43 loss this past Saturday against Wittenberg, this was probably most evident. Oberlin rarely had more than one look at the basket when they had possession, which came from forcing shots and not slowing the tempo down long enough for the team to get into its offense.

Hillman proved there's still no one in the league that can guard her spin move to the hoop, but despite personal heroics from her and others, the team looked ragged. Passes took Pony Express time to get from one player to another, and more often than not there was no one to pass to when point guards Peterson and first-year Tiffany Davis worked the half-court offense from the top of the key.

Bush was frequently isolated in the paint, without rebounding help, and as soon as she picked up three fouls the game fell into the hands of the Tigers' tall seniors, 6 foot Tracy Trigg and 5'11" Pam Purcell. And of course it didn't help that Wittenberg's shooting from the 3 point line was close to 50 percent.

Yet despite having a losing record as the first half of the season comes to a close, there is no doubt that the women's basketball team has improved their game from their 1995-96 showing.

"I go into every game knowing that we're going to win, and I couldn't necessarily say that last year," said senior Toah Nkromah.

In every team category - total rebounding, total offense, points allowed, team shooting percentage and conference standings - the Yeowomen are a step or two above where they were at this point last year. Unfortunately, those numbers don't equal wins.

Gilbert remains confident that her team will be ready to go after Christmas. "We're going through some growing pains," she said. "They know they have talent, and they put so much pressure on themselves to perform every night. [As coaches] we have to lift some of that pressue off of their shoulders."

It seems the issue keeps coming back to the needs of a developing team. Patience and fundamentals will make the difference, and work during winter break.

Added Nkromah, "So far the season's been really long. Every day since Sept. 1 we've been working really hard, and that's a lot of stress on the freshmen."