Women’s Basketball League Struggles Continue

The Raiders have been on a cold streak, and despite their best efforts, they could not put one in the win column after their two most recent games. After falling to the Holy Cross Crusaders on the road, the Raiders could not recover and fell to the American Eagles at Cotterell Court.

Travelling to Worcester, M.A. to take on Holy Cross, the Raiders looked to buck their losing trend. The Raiders, however, could not keep up with the Crusaders and fell 79-56. Led by junior guard Missy Repoli’s 20 points, the Raiders kept it close trailing by only 11 at half. But a strong effort from the

Crusaders in the second half sealed the deal.

Aside from Repoli’s shooting, the Raiders saw a strong boost from junior forward Carole Harris. Harris’ 14 points and seven rebounds helped the Raiders stay motivated in the second half, as eight of Harris’ points came then. Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Randyll Butler pitched in with eight big rebounds and helped the Raiders on the glass. The Raiders only got out-rebounded by a tall Crusaders team by six rebounds.

During the game, the Raiders shot close to 42 percent from the field, which is well above the team’s 36 percent average on the season. What didn’t help the Raiders at the end of the day was a strong offensive effort from the Crusaders, who shot 48 percent from the field and saw 32 points in the paint.

The Raiders had a quick turnaround as they returned home to host the American Eagles as well as the team’s annual Alumni Weekend. The Raiders hosted 20 former team members and despite the boost from team’s alumni, the Raiders couldn’t compete with a tough Eagles team and fell 75-57.

The Raiders loss came despite a strong offensive effort that saw three players in double figures. Harris and Repoli built off their strong games earlier in the week, posting 16 and 10 points respectively. Repoli also pitched in with a team-high six rebounds, leading to a big advantage on the boards in the first half. The advantage, however, did not last long as the Eagles came on ferociously in the second half and took the rebounding advantage for the game 33-32.

Aside from rebounds, the Eagles also shot the ball incredibly well. The Eagles shot 50 percent from the field throughout the game, and did not miss one free throw, hitting all 20 from the line. The Raiders did their best to match their opponents hitting 70 percent from the free throw line, but only hit 38 percent from the field.

The Raiders picked up two losses and still remain at the bottom of the League standings, but they look to pick up a crucial victory this weekend at home. They will host the Navy Midshipmen on February 15 at 4 p.m. as part of the National Girls & Women in Sports Day Pink Game. The team will raise money for the Play for Kay organization.

Contact Spencer Serling at [email protected].