Lady Crimson making their mark early

The Lady Crimson of Oberlin are currently riding the momentum of an unprecedented 4-1 start, the best in school history. As a team, the women are well ahead of their opponents in both field goal and three-point shooting percentage. Led by high scoring sophomores Nzinga Broussard and Raegan Johnson and newcomer Malisha Richardson, Oberlin is defining itself as a major force to be reckoned with in the NCAC.

Though none of the first five games were against a conference opponent this season, Oberlin has been impressing their non-conference foes with aggressive defense, lightning-quick fast breaks and reliable scoring. The team's opening 60-52 victory against Whittier College on Nov. 19 - part of that weekend's Santa Cruz Tournament - gave the Crimson their first chance to demonstrate their up-tempo style of basketball. Nine of the 10 players who entered the game saw double-digit playing time, indicating a well-rounded and flexible squad.

Head Coach Ann Gilbert had many good things to say about her players. "This team is very committed," she said. "It's a very cohesive unit." Gilbert added that, in terms of per-game statistics, this year's Crimson has already surpassed last season's squad in all aspects. She cited the team's unusual versatility as a key factor. "That's one of the luxuries this year," she added. "We can have a very balanced attack."

Broussard agreed. "We have a lot more players this year that are contributing," she said. Broussard noted that each player can occupy many different roles during the course of a game. She also spoke of Oberlin's impressive defense, which outrebounded Whittier 40-34 and had twice as many steals, ripping eight to Whittier's four.

"We have a press defense where our goal is to trap the ball," Broussard explained. Interestingly, the team, or at least the person calling plays on the floor, decides when they need to move to the press. "We don't have to have a call from Gilbert [to put it into action]," said Broussard.

This powerful and self-reliant defense seems to be paying off, as the Crimson have outscored their opponents by 35 points and kept the other team under 60 points in three of their five games. The Lady Crimson has also managed 21 more steals than their opposition.

The Crimson's forceful defense has put them in foul trouble, tallying 17 more team fouls than their rivals combined. "We're an aggressive team," said Broussard. "But I guess we have to know when to draw the line."

Gilbert expressed similar concerns. Speaking about the team's only loss - against Albion College last Sunday - Gilbert said: "We fouled too much. We're a very foul prone team." She noted that foul trouble, particularly early in the game, is a sure sign of impatience: too much push and too little strategy.

In their first home game of the season on Nov. 23, Oberlin defeated former NCAC rival Case Western Reserve 66-58, but not without some tense moments. Cheered on by a lively crowd at Philips Gym, Oberlin played aggressively on both sides of the court, while the Lady Spartans struggled offensively, managing a meager .220 field goal percentage. After three minutes of back-and-forth play, the Crimson took the lead and would not relinquish it until CWRU's impressive 10-point run towards the end of the first half put the Spartans ahead by five. But Oberlin came back in the last two. At the end of the half, the Crimson were on top by a thread of a lead, 35-33, but they maintained that lead throughout the second half to emerge victorious 66-58.

At the Mount St. Joseph Tournament this past weekend, Oberlin split their two games to run their record to 4-1. Against Hiram College, the Yeowomen scored a decisive 93-77 victory led by Johnson, who amassed 20 points, and Richardson, who contributed an team-high 22 points.

Sunday's game against Albion College was a contest of a different sort, ending in a 75-60 Oberlin loss "I don't think we played up to par," said Broussard. "They weren't fifteen points better than us."

Foul trouble got in the way of Oberlin's attack, as the Lady Crimson committed nine more fouls than Albion with senior Shakila Williams leaving the game with five. Still, the game remained close through the first half, with both teams tied at 32-32. Only in the second half did Albion's dead-on free throw accuracy catch up to the Crimson in the form of a quiet but insidious attack that made Oberlin pay for its mistakes while handing them their first loss of the season.

Although the basketball season is still young, the Lady Crimson have already begun to distinguish themselves. Team leaders Broussard and Johnson were recognized for their superior achievement at Mount St. Joseph by being named to the All-Tournament team.

Broussard recorded a total of 29 points in Oberlin's two games while racking up eight rebounds, 10 assists and seven steals in all. Johnson led the team in rebounding over the weekend; she nabbed an impressive total of 18 boards against Hiram and Albion combined, with six steals for good measure. Her contribution on the offensive end was equally solid, as Johnson scored 36 points combined in the tournament games.

Following their return from Mount St. Joseph, the Crimson played Allegheny College at Philips this past Wednesday. "They're up-tempo also," Gilbert said of Allegheny. "We're going to try to slow them down." Gilbert explained that OC's rapid style of play could only be truly effective if the other team's speed were limited. Gilbert also added that the Allegheny backcourt would be the primary scorers.

Despite doing their homework on the Gators, Oberlin fell in a heartbreaking 50-49 loss that saw Allegheny burn four time-outs in the last 1:08 of play. Johnson sank both free throws to bring Oberlin within one, 47-48, and to force the first timeout. Then, with 28 seconds left, Johnson sank a 15' jumper from the right baseline to give Oberlin a one-point lead and pump up the crowd even more. But it was not to be as a Gator drove to the holeand gave Allegheny the lead with 13 seconds to go. Oberlin was unable to score again and the game ended with Allegheny victorious.

Broussard led all scorers with 16 points on five of 13 shooting. Johnson and sophomore Heather Barbee were huge on the boards, pulling in 13 and 10 rebounds respectively.

Oberlin was out-rebounded as a team, however, 60-45. Sophomore Becky Kanuch feels it was these missed second, third or even fourth and fifth chances that did the Yeowomen in. Additionally, "we really lost it in the last minute of play," said Kanuch. "We definitely didn't box out, we didn't focus on the fundamentals. We forgot how to play."

Both coach and players aren't letting these recent losses get them down, and are instead focusing how to win the future games. The Crimson's attack has been characterized by shooting from inside the paint. "We want to get as many high percentage shots as possible," Gilbert explained. In the future, however, Oberlin will attempt to strengthen its shooting from outside the paint in order to evade the 2-3 zone defense they will likely face from opposing teams.

Roundball fans rejoice: the Crimson's next game is at home. Oberlin faces Bluffton College Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Come show your support - this is, after all, Oberlin basketball at its finest.

Pawns in the game: The women's basketball team's success thus far into the '99-'00 season indicates a well-rounded squad and good chances for the rest of the year. (photo by Brian Hodgkin)