Women’s Basketball Season Tips Off

By Lena Flamm

It was a huge weekend for basketball and Purchase fans alike, with the teams that had been training and practicing for months finally getting to debut their talents for the year in season-opening games. But if anything was made clear, it was that this season, the men's team wasn't going to be getting all the attention. With the worldwide popularity of women's basketball at an all-time high, Panthers fans were more than ready to rally around their new favorite team.

Panthers co-captain Kendall Larsen looks for an opening to pass while forward Chloe Nieves guards (Photo by Lena Flamm)

With over 100 in attendance, the Purchase gymnasium was louder and more energetic than it had been since the start of the school year, with fans itching for a win against the Cedar Crest College Falcons. But it was very soon established that the Panthers would have to work hard for it when Falcons guard Ella Bincarosky scored a three-pointer eight seconds into the game. The Panthers collaborated on the single-minded goal of keeping the Falcons shooters far out of the paint, but were the victims of several missed shots on their part. The Panthers' first successful three-pointer was sunk by senior and co-captain Charlee Neb, who was met with explosive cheering from the bleachers. It was necessary to keep that momentum going, but soon after Panthers forward Tvisha Sivaramakrishnan fouled, and the Falcons were granted their first free throw opportunity, in which their 6-foot tall forward Samora Merchant scored both points. 

With the Falcons further established as accurate shooters when given the opportunity, the Panthers' defense was forced to up their game. Freshman guard Jamyra McCray took it in stride, playing aggressive defense, a fierce protector of the ball at just 5 feet 4 inches. For the rest of the quarter, the name of the game was avoiding turnovers and fouls. At the end of the first quarter, the Falcons led 28-18. 

Falcons guard Ginger Kerdock tries to get the ball past the Panthers defense for a 3-point shot (Photo by Lena Flamm)

With the second quarter underway, it was obvious the Panthers couldn't just play good defense and had to create more opportunities for points. However, throughout the quarter, the Panthers missed more layups and didn't get another three-pointer until sophomore guard Katie Argenzio's shot with 1:46 left until the half. At the buzzer, Cedar Crest led 47-34. 

At half, both teams were in urgent need of a strategy meeting. "I think our greatest strength was at times when it got low, we didn't give up," said the Panthers' Charlee Neb. "We just kept hustling, trying to find the next assignment, as we talk about as a team, just trying to flip to the next page, next play mentality, even with some rougher foul calls." Not only did the Panthers have to stay resilient, but Neb also knew they had to adapt to the Falcons' strengths. "We weren't expecting all those threats on the outside, but once we got our assignments down, we knew just to go and crash the board and expect long rebounds."

The first five minutes of the third quarter were a low-scoring standoff, with the only two points scored being for a free throw by the Falcons' Merchant and a layup in the paint by the Panthers' Santiago. Only 18 points total were scored between the two teams in the quarter, and the Panthers didn't succeed in any three-point attempts. The team was becoming visibly frustrated and fatigued, and fans on the sidelines could only cross their fingers and hope that they were able to pull it together in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Panthers entered the last quarter behind by 17 points. 

The Panthers and Falcons battle it out in the paint (Photo by Lena Flamm)

The fourth quarter of the Panthers-Falcons game proved to be the most controversial by far. In the fourth quarter, 14 fouls were called, 11 of them in favor of the Falcons. 12 of the 18 points the Falcons scored in the last quarter were from free throws. Fans in the stands were outraged at the constant stoppage of play, frequently at the expense of the Panthers. "Put the whistle down," became a chant, shouted by family and students alike. "The ball never lies," a woman shouted when Falcons guard Brooke Leonardi missed two free throws. At the final buzzer, the Falcons swept the game 76-50. 

While Panthers Head Coach Stephen Bower was disappointed, he was able to see what needed to be done moving forward. "I think we played hard, played with purpose, just struggled to score obviously," he said. "You know, our brand of basketball requires us to score to create momentum, and not having enough quality opportunities got to us, and created some negative energy that we fell down off of. But I'm really proud, especially of the third quarter. I thought we played hard, just silly little turnovers, and not getting shots that we want consistently leads us to this."

When asked if she thought the amount of free throw opportunities given to the Falcons was unfair, Charlee Neb shrugged and nodded but still kept it cordial. "We just gotta learn from it for the next game and see how the refs are gonna call the next one."

Interestingly enough, a blowout win was not necessarily satisfying for Falcons Head Coach Jason Rhine. "I don't know if this was a game where our talents really showed, but I am proud of the way they stuck together. I think we have a lot to clean up," commented Rhine. "We just have a way better product to be able to put out there. The way we play offensively and defensively is a fun brand of basketball, and I don't know that the fans tonight really got a chance to see what we can do." 

Walking away from this loss, the Purchase Panthers stand at 0-1, with a long and challenging season ahead of them. But the possibilities are endless, and these players are resilient and adaptable.