Over Thanksgiving break, the Oberlin College women’s basketball team took a trip to California to compete in the two-day David Wells Classic, facing off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer. In addition, the trip was an opportunity for the team to bond and gain experience by playing non-conference games. The Yeowomen ended the tournament 1–1, falling to CMS 44–62, but defeating Pomona-Pitzer the next day 63–53.
The team flew out to the Los Angeles area, taking Thanksgiving Day to bond as a team. College fourth-year Katherine Csiszar’s family hosted the team and their families for Thanksgiving dinner. The team took advantage of California’s sunny weather, visiting the beach and the Santa Monica Pier.
“These past several years, we have made an effort to find travel opportunities in our non-conference schedule that allow us to get closer to where some of our players/recruits/alumni are from,” Head Coach Stephany Dunmyer wrote in an email to the Review. “The trip to California was an awesome travel opportunity for our group!”
On Friday, though, the Yeowomen got down to business. Looking to improve their 1–3 record on the season, in their first game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps they broke out to an early lead, but by the second period, the Athenas caught up and ultimately took a commanding lead in the second half, going on to win the game.
“Our first game outcome wasn’t necessarily what we expected,” College fourth-year Ellie Pollock-Ballard said. “We got exploited a little bit on our defense. They were shooting very well. We were not shooting great.”
After Friday’s loss, Pollock-Ballard emphasized that the team was hungry for a win.
“We were really looking to bounce back after that game against [CMS],” Pollock-Ballard said. “We needed to make a statement. We didn’t go all the way out to California to not at least win one.”
“It was all about not ruminating on that loss too much,” Csiszar said. “I personally went back to the hotel room, made sure I hung out with some of my teammates to brighten my spirits, and get a good night’s sleep to prepare for Pomona. I think our scout and walk-through the next morning really helped me prepare and visualize the game plan.”
In Saturday’s game against Pomona-Pitzer, the Yeowomen sent a strong message, scoring 29 points in the first half and taking a six-point lead over the Sagehens. Though the Sagehens came back in the second half, tying the game at 46 with 10 minutes remaining, Oberlin powered through to win by 10 points. Csiszar had her first career double-double, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and fellow College fourth-years Anora Lee and Pollock-Ballard each recorded 10 points.
“I was also really pleased with our ability to bounce back following our first game and to really pick up our pace and energy in our second match-up,” Dunmyer wrote. “We have a terrific group, and when we are locked in on controlling what we can control and being great teammates, we can compete with anyone.”
Pollock-Ballard echoed Dunmyer’s sentiment.
“We were locked into our defensive closeouts and angles against Pomona,” she said. “I think that set us up for success a lot, and I felt like in our Pomona game, our ball movement was pretty good. We had a really good inside-outside game, and we read better in transition.”
The team looks to continue the success into the rest of the season.
“Beating Pomona was exactly what we needed, and a lot of people stepped up and contributed during that game,” Csiszar said. “I believe in every single one of my teammates and their abilities; it just takes everyone believing in and pushing themselves simultaneously to pull out tougher wins.”
The Yeowomen hope to improve their 4–4 record this Saturday against Adrian College, riding momentum after a mid-week win over Kalamazoo College Wednesday night.
