The women’s basketball team has been busy in the past week with games against Carnegie Mellon, Earlham and Case Western Reserve. The team posted a record of 1-2 in those three games. Despite this record, the Yeowomen were able to stay competitive throughout their matches.

Through the first seven games of the season, the team has set a 1-6 record with its only win coming at home last Saturday, Dec. 5 against conference foe Earlham. In the contest, first-year guard Allison Anderson had an inspiring triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds; she also made a personal season-high five steals. The Yeowomen led their opponents for most of the contest after surrendering the first five points of the game to Earlham, quickly regaining and holding on to the lead despite several runs by the Quakers.

In the team’s six losses, the Yeowomen have played hard against their opponents, refusing to give up and scoring runs that kept them in the games. Since the Marietta College tournament on Nov. 20-21, the team has been extremely competitive and has kept the games close up until the closing minutes. About the team’s recent performances, Head Coach Kerry Jenkins said, “We’re a young team, so every game is a growing experience. We just have to learn to finish.”

On Monday, Dec. 7 at Case Western, the women battled for the full 40 minutes with the end result being a close loss of 60-71. The team kept the game close and was only down three points after the first half. But once the second half began, the Spartans went on a 25-point run, while the Yeowomen scored only eight points. Though the team got within six points of the Spartans with a minute and a half left to play, the Spartans were able to shut down the Yeowomen until the buzzer sounded.

The team was led in scoring by junior guard Syrea Thomas who scored a career-high 29 points on eight of 16 shooting, seven of which came from behind the arch. Thomas also recorded game highs in blocks and steals, with two of each. Anderson contributed 15 points as well as seven assists. However, it was the team’s defense that shined most throughout the games, as the Yeowomen limited the Spartans to shooting only 37.5 percent and 27.6 percent from three-point range.

With the end of the semester coming up, the team hopes to build from the first quarter of the season. The team plays its next seven games at home, with games on Dec. 11 and 12 against Ursuline and Wittenberg, respectively. About the rest of the season, Jenkins added, “This team is going to surprise a lot of people.”