After dropping the first two games of the season, the Rowan women’s basketball team has gotten back to .500 after rattling off two straight wins, with the most recent being a 63-50 victory over Eastern University on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The game was tight throughout the first half until Rowan went on a 6-0 run to put them up 32-26 entering the half. From there, the Profs would hold the lead for the rest of the game. The only time they were threatened was in the fourth quarter when Eastern got within single digits after a layup from Wynter Bess, who also had a team-high of 18 points. That was when Kristina Johnson nailed a three to put Rowan back up by 12 and ultimately proved to be the dagger.
The speed at which Rowan plays was a significant advantage throughout the game. The Profs outscored the Eagles 17-8 in fast break points. The person who benefitted the most was Kate Herlihy, who led both teams in scoring with 22 points. She was also tied with Johnson and Nicole Mallard for the game-high in assists with four.
“I always try to hustle up the court as quickly as I can,” Herlihy said. “I am just trying to get quick layups or open shots. I also try to pass to a teammate for a quick shot.”
Herlihy’s head coach, Kate Pearson, has been impressed by her ability to be effective on both sides of the ball.
“Kate has been playing really well the last couple of days,” Pearson said. “She is consistently scoring and playing well on defense. She really moves well off the ball to get open shots. She hits really big shots when she needs to.”
Even though Pearson liked the way the team played, she saw some things that they needed to work on.
“I feel like every time we went on a run, they would come back,” Pearson said. “We need to get the hammer down sooner. We found a way to grit through it and get the win.”
Herlihy feels like she knows how to bring said hammer down.
“I think we have to have more confidence in ourselves,” Herlihy said. “I think if we do that, we have the capability to crush any teams that we wanna crush. It is all about how we come out with confidence and energy.”
The Profs will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 21 against Stockton to open New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. It will also be “Demetrius Poles Night”, making it even more important for the Profs to pick up the win.
“It is really important to win that game, not just because it is against Stockton,” Herlihy said. “The whole meaning behind the game is very important. We all miss coach a lot. We want to play our best for him.”
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