Lincoln Plews
Senior Sports Writer
It has been a rough few months for the women’s basketball team. After starting the season with an impressive five game winning streak, the Scots have now lost 11 of their last 12 games. In that time they have allowed an average of 78 points per game, while only scoring an average of 55 points.
The Scots’ recent run of losses can reasonably be attributed to worthy competition rather than poor play. Two of the losses have come to nationally first-ranked DePauw, a perennial powerhouse in Division III.
The Scots entered their most recent game against DePauw fresh off of a narrow 65-63 loss to Allegheny. In their previous meeting the Scots fell to the Tigers 98-68. However, they scored the highest point total of any team that has faced DePauw this season.
The away game this past Saturday at DePauw did not have a silver lining. The Tigers shot a blazing 67 percent from the three point line and 60 percent from the field on the way to a 98-32 win over the Scots.
Despite their struggles, the Scots remain upbeat and confident in their abilities. “Our team’s strength is that we never give up,” said guard Lauren Hancher ’16. “We continue to play hard no matter the score.” Hancher is leading the Scots in scoring this season with 14 points per game.
This dramatic run of bad luck by no means indicates that the season is lost. The remaining seven games are all in-conference match-ups, five of which will be played at home, so the Scots have a good chance to finish the year quite strong. “Five out of our next seven games are at home, and all of them are winnable,” Hancher said.
The Scots will have a good chance to get back on track with a home game against Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Ohio Wesleyan is currently ranked fifth in the NCAC with a record of 10-8 (5-4 in conference play).
“Hopefully our focus on executing the offense correctly and playing team defense will give us a win this Wednesday against Hiram and the games after that,” Hancher said.