Kasey Fiedler
Contributing Writer
The College of Wooster women’s basketball team is off to a fiery start this season with an undefeated record of 5-0. Each of their five games consisted of double-digit victories, with an average score of 84.4 points per game. In addition, the team’s free throw percentage is at a solid 71.6 percent, with an average of 47.4 rebounds and 15 assists per game.
Wooster made 13 three-pointers, the second-most in program history. Sydney Grier ’16 (5), Rachel Collins ’17 (3) and Suvi Puripattarapan ’14 (3) led a long-range attack that propelled the Fighting Scots to an 82-63 win over Franciscan University of Steubenville on the afternoon of Nov. 23 in Steubenville, Ohio. Not only have the Fighting Scots had great team success, but they have had notable individual performances thus far. Last week Lauren Hancher ’16 put up a career-high of 24 points over Bluffton University, while Maura Hall ’14 brought down 17 rebounds for the Scots.
Head Coach Ashley Reid is extremely pleased about this season’s start, to say the least.
“I am very excited,” she said. “We were very eager to start the season with new faces and are off to a great start but still have a lot of work to go.”
Similarly, starting forward/center, Lauren Hancher ’16 expressed her excitement about the season as well.
“It has been fun,” she said, “but we have tough competition ahead and we are taking it one game at a time and hope to continue having success.”
The Fighting Scots are thrilled with their early accomplishments, but they nonetheless all realize that the season is still young, and they are hungry to make some statements in conference play.
With regard to leadership and major contributors on the team, Coach Reid emphasized the importance of her three senior captains: Karley Walker ’14, Puripattarapan and Hall.
“Without their strong leadership we wouldn’t be where we are at this point,” she said.
The starting captains are certainly vital to the team’s success, but you can’t play basketball with only three players on the court. It is imperative for everyone to contribute, and for the Scots, everyone does.
“We just have a group of women who are willing to do whatever it takes to win,” noted Walker, “so in my opinion, that means everyone is contributing.”
Coach Reid and the aforementioned players agreed that any given member of the team is capable of scoring double digits at any time.
“It is nice to have depth and subs that you know you can rely on to get the job done when you come out of the game,” expressed Hancher. That being said, it is evident that the entire team has an effect on the outcome of each game.
When referring to team chemistry, Coach Reid stressed the amount of positivity that the players possess during practices and games. She said the disagreements on the court do not affect their relationships off the court. Players can be tough on each other while playing, but always “become friends again afterwards.” Captains Puripattarapan and Walker indicated that this year’s group is more “team oriented” and “close-knit,” and they attribute these positive changes to their early success.
The Scots look to continue their success in Timken gymnasium this weekend as they dribble into the conference play, facing No. 1-ranked DePauw University tomorrow at 1 p.m..