BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Medaille College women's basketball team came out on top in their conference game against Alfred State College at the Sullivan Center. The Mavericks battled hard in the 62-53 conference win and move to 9-11 on the season and 4-7 in conference play.
The Mavs wasted no time getting on the board with an early steal and layup from
Shyanne Trinh (Dorchester, MA, Stoughton). The Pioneers responded quickly but
Erin Hardick (Buffalo, NY, Sacred Heart) drove right back scoring in the paint. Hardick continued to execute with quick passes inside to
Morgan Kennedy (Philadelphia, PA, West Catholic Prep) for a layup. The Mavericks held the momentum with
Ariea Garrett (Cleveland, OH, Beaumont) snagging an offensive rebound and turning it into two for Medaille.
Caiden Crego (Newark, NY, Lyons) grabbed a steal that led to a big three from Trinh which forced a Pioneer timeout with the Mavs leading 13-4. Crego assisted Garrett late in the quarter for another bucket that helped put Medaille up 17-8 at the end of the quarter.
The Pioneers hit the opening points in the second quarter from a mid-range jumper.
Desmonique Veal (Buffalo, NY, City Honors) took the ball in herself with a nice move between two defenders to score. Hardick grabbed two more assists with Trinh hitting another three and
Xaneya Thomas (Binghamton, NY, Binghamton) hitting a jumper. The Mavs were impressive on defense with Hardick and Kennedy still finding ways to score under heavy pressure. The Pioneers managed to connect on a few jump shots to hang in the game. Veal finished the quarter strong with a steal, assist, and layup all within the last minute of play. The Mavs went into halftime leading 33-19.
Alfred State struck first with a layup but Hardick responded with an uncontested three to keep the pressure on. The Pioneers tried to break down the Maverick lead with a three but Hardick again found Kennedy in the paint for a layup. Thomas turned her offensive rebound into points for Medaille which forced the Pioneers to turn up the intensity on defense. The Mavs struggled against the heavy pressure and Alfred State started to gain some momentum off of turnovers. Medaille held on to a 43-37 lead going into the last quarter of play.
The fourth quarter started with the Pioneers winning the rebound battle. Alfred State continued to put points on the board as Medaille's lead got shorter. Hardick found Thomas for a crucial layup as the Pioneers connected on a three. With Medaille leading 45-42, Veal hit a mid-range jumper from Crego to go up by five with five minutes remaining. The Pioneers hit another three to get within two points. With their backs against the wall, the Mavericks toughened up to play their best defense of the night. Kennedy, Hardick, and Veal continued to score and keep the Pioneers from making the comeback. The Mavericks took the conference win with a final score of 62-53.
Game leaders for the Mavs were Trinh and Hardick with 14 points each with Hardick grabbing six rebounds and eight assists. Kennedy recorded a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. Veal and Thomas both put up nine points and eight rebounds while Garrett had six points and eight rebounds.
The Mavericks will return to play on Saturday, February 5, where they will travel to Mount Aloysius College for another conference game. The Mavs will tip-off at 2:00 p.m.
