UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team is set to take on the Westfield Gas and Electric Tip-off Tournament, hosted by Westfield State. Game one against the host, Westfield State is set for 5:30pm on Friday, November 21. Both the tournament championship and consolation games will be played on Saturday, November 22, with the consolation set to tip off at 12pm, and the championship at 2pm.
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video and live stats links will be released as available.
Last Time Out: The team fell to the Cardinal Classic hosts, Plattsburgh State by a score of 71-50 on Saturday afternoon. Leading the way for the Pioneers was
McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) who finished the afternoon with 16 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 5-5 FT), and
Vanessa Hall (Independence, NY/Whitesville Central) with 15 points (5-13FG, 5-5 FT). Hall led the Pioneers' rebounding efforts with a team high seven rebounds, while
Natalie Cornell (Greenwood, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg) registered six, followed by the trio of Simmons, Jaya Bell, and
Madison Marusic (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) with four each.
Carly Atty (Tribes Hill, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) got herself in on the offensive action with a pair of assists, while Simmons was able to get in defensively with a team high three steals.
Continued Momentum: Vanessa Hall (Independence, NY/Whitesville Central) put together a pair of impressive outings for the Pioneers over the weekend. The junior averaged 20.5 points per game while shooting .378 from the floor, and going an impressive 11-11 from the foul line across both games. In the Pioneers double overtime thriller win over SUNY Potsdam, Hall managed to put up 26 points while shooting .375 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, while also managing four rebounds and a steal. Against Plattsburgh, Hall was good for 15 points on .385 shooting while going 5-5 from the line with seven rebounds.
Freshman Standout: Freshman
Jayla Bell (Lyons, NY/Lyons) made her presence known for the Pioneers over the weekend, averaging 9.5 points per game while shooting .700 from the floor with a total of 12 rebounds, a block, and a steal. In the Pioneers double overtime thriller win over SUNY Potsdam, Bell shined with 14 points on .833 shooting from the floor while managing to haul in eight rebounds with a block and a steal. Against Plattsburgh, Bell managed to shoot .500 from the floor with four rebounds.
Scouting Westfield State: The Westfield State Owls have opened the season 2-0 and have outscored opponents by over 10 points per game this season. Leading the Owls' scoring efforts has been Grace Wigington who has netted 48 points in two games, shooting .471 from the floor and .429 from three point range. Tavi Williams leads the Owls rebounding efforts with a total of 28 rebounds. Williams has also been able to make plays this season, dishing out a team leading 13 assists. On defense, Williams also leads the team in steals with 11, while Caroline Galvani, Mya Silveira, and Tori Griffin each have recorded a block. Last season, the Pioneers took on the Owls in the same tournament, with the Pioneers falling in a closely contested matchup, 78-70.
A Look at Albright: The Albright College Lions have posted an 0-3 record to start the season, falling in close matchups with Montclair State and Stockton. Leading the Lions offense has been Crisdin Jones who has averaged over 20 points per game while shooting .512 from the floor. Gigi Serrano leads the Lions rebounding efforts, averaging over seven rebounds per game, while Jones follows closely behind, averaging six. Dishing out the most assists on the team is CJ Apristar andJulia Parmelee who have each managed a team high nine on the season. The pair also lead the Lions defensively with 10 steals a piece, while Serrano and Orianna Edmond lead the Lions each with a block. A meeting between these two teams would mark the first time that the Pioneers would square off against the Lions.
Breaking Down Mitchell: The Mitchell College Mariners have opened the season with a 1-3 record. Leading the Mariners attack has been Jamya Beddoe who has averaged 13.5 points per game through the team''s four games this season. Jade Hypolite and Jordyn Streitmatter follow close behind Beddoe in scoring, each averaging nine points per game. Leading the rebounding force for the Mariners has been Delaney Fifield who has averaged over eight rebounds per game this season. Defensively, Hypolite leads the team in steals with eight on the season, while Ariahna Headen leads the team with three blocks. A meeting between these two teams would mark the first time that the Pioneers would square off against the Mariners.
Up Next: The team returns home to take on Norwich University in a pre-thanksgiving break matchup. Tip off on Tuesday, November 25 is set for 1pm from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center.
