By Nicole Hauck, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna women’s basketball team opened its season with a 79–66 win on Tuesday, Nov. 13 against Wilkes on the Colonels’ home court.
The starters for the game were sophomore shooting guard Erin McQuillen, sophomore forward Alanna Connolly, sophomore shooting guard Nevin Hoenninger, senior point guard Bailey Trell and senior forward Maddie Murray.
“It was really nice to start the season off with a win,” Connolly said. “Our win was a showing of what total team effort looks like.”
The game began with Wilkes scoring the first basket, but it was not long until the River Hawks began to score and take the lead.
McQuillen led the River Hawks statistics with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
First-year players made a large impact during this came. Freshman shooting guard Amalia Esposito scored 14 points, with three rebounds and one assist all within 23 minutes.
Freshman shooting guard Amanda Lemire had also scored 10 points with one rebound to help the River Hawks seal the win.
Other key players throughout the game were Connolly and Hoenninger who both scored seven points for the River Hawks. Connolly also earned five rebounds, while Hoenninger got three rebounds and two assists.
The River Hawks (1–0) dominated over the Colonels (1–2) in three out of the four quarters. The first quarter was 16–15, followed by 24–11, 24–21. The River Hawks just fell short in the fourth quarter, with the Colonels scoring four more points 15–19.
Many of the River Hawks’ guards were in foul trouble, which allowed for other players to gain experience on the court.
“In the second quarter we had four of our guards sitting on the bench with foul trouble, but we still had other players come in and make strong contributions, which, at least at this point, is a testament to having good depth,” head coach Jim Reed said.
Closing the first half, freshman shooting guard, Sadie Comfort nailed three 3-pointers along with Esposito’s points that allowed the Hawks to go into halftime 40–26.
During the third quarter, the River Hawks remained strong and never let back, keeping their small lead.
With Susquehanna holding onto their lead in the final period, many other players got to see some action on the court.
“It was exciting to see how many players on our team are able to step up and contribute,” Connolly said. “I am eager and looking forward to a very successful season with this team.”
“It’s early and we have a lot of room for improvement and growth, but we are happy to start the season with a win and we are looking forward to our home tournament this weekend,” Reed said.
The River Hawks return to action at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18 for the Susquehanna Trailways Tipoff Tournament. The tournament will be held in the O.W. Houts Gymnasium in Selinsgrove.