by Kevin Byrne
Staff Writer
Women’s basketball has a difficult road ahead of them, with three road games against Beloit, Monmouth, and Carroll.
But after last weekend’s contests, nothing seems too difficult for the Pioneers.
“It felt great to be shooting well after the previous weekend we had,” Anna Veit ‘05 said. “The whole team really stepped up.”
The entire team did step up in big situations throughout both games. On Saturday, Grinnell beat a Lawrence team that was 4-4 in Midwest Conference play, and two spots in front of them in the standings. Behind a double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds) from center Marie Opsahl-Lister ‘03, the Pioneers won 64-51. The victory put Grinnell right back in the hunt for a respectable conference season and was last weekend’s second victory over a conference opponent.
The game of the week, however, occurred on Friday night, when the Pioneers of Grinnell faced off against the Pioneers of Carroll College. In front of 500 screaming spectators, a sight that is becoming common at women’s games, Grinnell put on a show that had people talking the entire weekend.
Grinnell came into the match-up on a four game skid and desperately seeking a home victory. They were facing off against a Carroll team that had beaten them by 61 points when they played during last year’s winless season. It wasn’t easy, but after two overtime periods, the Grinnell College Pioneers prevailed 91-87.
Against Carroll, the women’s team was coached by the men’s basketball team’s head coach, Dave Arsenault, on account of the women’s head coach Andy Hamilton having to fulfill family obligations. This made for an interesting situation for both the players and for Coach Arsenault.
“I was very nervous going into the game,” Arsenault commented. “It has been ten years since I have had to think so much about a game. I was very proud of them with the way they took ownership of their program and guided me through the evening.”
One player who certainly guided the team through the game was shooting guard Veit. She stole the show, scoring 32 points, 27 of those from behind the 3-point arc. Her nine three-treys were a team record. Katy Bowen ‘06 had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and three blocks. Lindsay Peter ‘05 and Acrivi Coromelas ‘04 each hit clutch free throws late in the game to give Grinnell the slim leads they enjoyed. Coromelas’ 11 points and Peter’s six points were complimented well by Opsahl-Lister’s 14 points, but Opsahl-Lister fouled out late in regulation and was replaced by center Molly Kafka ‘06. The reserve forward played 20 solid minutes, including most of the overtime periods, and chipped in five points and eight rebounds.
“I know I’m not a big scorer, so I had to find other ways to help the team,” Kafka said. “At the end of that exhausting game, it was the best feeling to know I was a part of the win.”
That feeling was almost not felt by the Grinnell team, who had a three point lead with under ten seconds remaining in regulation when Carroll guard Jenni Poch hit a three-pointer as time expired to force the first overtime. Each team scored seven points in the first overtime, but Grinnell eventually outscored Carroll 8-4 in the second extra period to secure the win.
The two wins ended a dry spell for the Pioneers in which they lost four in a row in the first two weeks of January. They improved their conference record to 3-5 and their overall record to 8-5.
“If we keep playing strong, we can finish in the top four and make it to the tournament,” Opsahl-Lister remarked. “I’m taking it one game at a time though. I want this season to last as long as possible. I’m having a great time.”
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