Bulldogs look to learn from, then school, foes

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Jamie Riposta, JE '02, is just one of the freshmen the Elis are hoping will rack up points once the team starts Ivy League play.

By Kate Moran

In its season opener on Sat., Nov. 14, the women's basketball team held a close lead against Quinnipiac for most of the first half. But seconds before the half-time buzzer sounded, Quinnipiac sunk a three-pointer and pulled ahead. The Bulldogs knew that they would have to stay tight on defense and continue to sink their shots to beat Quinnipiac. In the last 20 minutes, captain Autumn Braddock,
BK '99, grabbed nine rebounds, and point guard Alyson Miller, JE '01, drove to the basket several times and helped Yale to regain the lead. In the final seconds of the game, Caitlin Bair, TD '02, sunk a three-point shot, solidifying the 80-64 victory.

If their gritty play against Quinnipiac last weekend was any indication, the Elis should have an even more successful
season than last year. The team ended their 1997-98 season 14-12 (8-6 Ivy), and with seven returning starters, they are confident that they will able to avenge several losses from a season ago. The team must remain focused and intense, however, if it wants to have a winning season. Kelly Denit,

DC '00, emphasized this concentration as the key to victory in the opening game. "We stayed together and stayed focused in the second half against Quinnipiac, and that's what gave us the win," she said. The team will also have to keep down the number of fouls. "We ran into a lot of foul trouble early in the game," Braddock noted. "The refs announced this year that they're going to be tough on hand-checking, so we'll have to work on not fouling near the post."

In games ahead, Yale will look to its post players to do most of the scoring. Five veteran post players, including Braddock and Natasha Archer, MC '99, return from last season. Braddock connected on 45 three-pointers last year, setting a new team record. She was second on the team in overall points. Center Katy Grubbs, SM '99, will also be a key player. A first team All-Ivy selection, Grubbs led the team in points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark last season.

The team has less depth in the guard position, as Denit is the only returning
player with significant varsity experience. However, several new guards, in particular Jamie Riposta, JE '02, have already stepped up this season. In the game against Hartford on Tues., Nov. 17, Riposta made two free throws down the stretch to seal the 52-49 victory.

The team hopes to capitalize on its mixture of experience and new talent to defeat traditional Ivy League powers Harvard, Dartmouth, and Princeton. A victory against Har-vard seems feas-ible for the women since the Crimson lost Allison Feaster '99, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, to graduation. Braddock noted that defeating Harvard would be particularly sweet for the seniors, because "we haven't beaten them once
since our freshman year." The team also hopes to challenge Princeton and Dart-mouth, both of whom defeated Yale twice last season. Archer noted, "Our offense is better than last year, and we're really solid on defense, which should pull us through Ivy League games."

Before they directly focus on taking the Ivy crown, though, the Elis first want to make sure they are playing the best basketball possible. "We're concentrating on meshing as a team. We have a lot of freshmen, and we want to give them experience in stressful situations," Braddock said.

The combination of seven returning players and a talented freshman class have the Bulldogs looking to put up bigger numbers this year. The women hope that their trip to California over Thanksgiving break will help prepare them for the demanding season ahead. At a tournament at the University of San Diego, the Bulldogs will face some of the nation's best teams, including Illinois and Butler. The tough competition should give Yale the game experience it will need when it faces Ivy League opponents during the regular season.

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