The Yeowomen, coming off a successful season that saw them reach the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship finals, opened their season in Waltham, MA in the Judges Invitational. After taking a flight from Cleveland to Boston, the team got dinner together and readied themselves for their season opener.
The Yeowomen’s matchup against Kean University was the perfect example of how much the team has grown since last year. Their first game of the year was tightly contested throughout, but a big third quarter and fast start to the fourth by the Cougars saw the Yeowomen facing a 10 point deficit. However, the team rallied together to outscore their opponents by 14 in the fourth and close out a win, 80–72.
Fourth-year guard and stalwart for the team Gina Lombard impressed in both games and was named to the All-Tournament team. She credited the maturity and composure of this year’s squad as the key component in their victory against Kean.
“There were times last year where we faced that same adversity and we would just not respond in that way,” Lombard said. “We would get down on each other, get down on ourselves, but I felt like there was never really a doubt that we were going to support each other and come back. You know, winning and losing is one thing but having your teammates back no matter what is super important, and it definitely sets us up for success that our first game was us going down 10 in the first quarter and then coming back and winning by almost 10. Definitely puts us in a good position and teaches us how to move through adversity so early in the season.”
In their second game of the tournament, Oberlin cruised against host Brandeis University, demolishing the Judges, 77–46. The easy win earned Oberlin the title of champions for the tournament and highlighted an incredible weekend for the team.
Angela Kumler, a second-year forward, has had a breakthrough start to the season. She scored 28 points over the two games and contributed five steals, four blocks, six assists, and 10 rebounds. Her exceptional performances earned her Tournament MVP and NCAC Player of the Week accolades.
When asked about her performance, Kumler said that she felt “definitely more comfortable than before” but credited her teammates and their collective improvement since last year.
“I feel like a lot of people have stepped up this year,” Kumler said. “We have a lot of people like the freshmen and people who weren’t getting as many minutes last year who now have the chance to play a lot.”
She has high hopes for this year’s team, but wants the group to stay grounded and tackle each game methodically. When asked about her goals for the rest of the year, Kumler said that she wanted the team to “take it one game at a time, and continue to work together like we have been, not getting down on each other.”
Lombard’s goal for this team is simple: to win it all.
“My goal for this team since I’ve come in is to win a championship,” Lombard said. “You know, we got there last season, we lost, but that’s always been my goal for this program. This program means a lot to me, and for this to be my last season, regardless of me playing my fifth year, this will always be where I played college basketball. So I want to win a championship, but more importantly I want to do it the right way, and I think that we’ve started off in the right way — not getting down on each other and we respond well to adversity, and that’s what it’s going to take at the end of the year to complete those goals.”
The team capped off their winning weekend in a fun fashion: grabbing dinner and watching the Boston Celtics take down the Toronto Raptors before heading back to campus. After their return, the Yeowomen traveled to Bluffton University, where they took down Beavers, 68–42 to remain undefeated this season.
Tomorrow, the team takes on Alma College at home in a non-conference matchup. When these two teams met last year, the Yeowomen downed the Scots, 77–62. Catch the team’s home opener at 2 p.m. at Philips gym.
