The final seconds ticked off the clock on the Yeowomen’s basketball season Tuesday night in an away loss to Kenyon College. After trailing by more than 25 points early in the game, the Yeowomen fought their way back into the contest to lose by a score of 70–61. Going out with a bang in her last varsity basketball game, senior Ellen Neumann contributed 13 points and six rebounds. The Yeowomen will be losing two seniors this coming year, Neumann and Allison Anderson, but the team’s eyes are set on a more successful season than the one they just completed, going 4–12 in conference and 9–17 overall.

“We have a good group of girls coming back,” said Lillian Jahan, a junior from San Francisco. “We certainly will miss the presence of these two seniors on the court, but we have some young talent that is ready to break out this coming year.” The playmakers Jahan referrs to include sophomore Christina Marquette, who is renowned within the conference for her shooting and overall ability, averaging 18.5 points a game this past year, and Allison Gannon, a junior forward from Vermont who contributed an average of 10.4 points per game this season. Gannon, a staple on the Yeowomen basketball team, missed a good portion of the conference contests as she is currently studying abroad in Prague. Her return in the coming year will certainly benefit the team.

In a show of commitment and solidarity, the Yeowomen continued to practice this week in preparation for the coming season. “It is good to see the team pull together and want to get better right away. We could have just turned in our uniforms and called it a wrap, but these girls are determined to get better,” commented Head Coach Kerry Jenkins. “I know it will pay off in the 2013–2014 season. Look out for Oberlin.”

Despite a perhaps premature ending to the season, there are some bright spots for the Yeowomen as they look towards the coming year. With only two seniors moving on and a projected strong incoming freshmen class, the Yeowomen could easily improve on their record from last year. Look for the Yeowomen to be stronger in the coming year as they take their first steps toward a winning season.