With a 10-game losing streak over, women's team searches for killer instinct

By Christopher Burke

Only three games into the Ivy League schedule, you would expect the women's basketball team (5-10, 0-2 Ivy) to be excited about beginnings and fresh starts. After all, the team is coming off a tough stretch that saw them drop 10 consecutive games before finally snapping the streak on Tues., Jan. 19, with a hard-fought 56-52 victory over Central Connecticut. Despite the chance to start anew, the Bulldogs' main concern is finishing.

It's not finishing the season that consumes players and coaches--it's finishing games. Prior to the Central Connecticut victory, four of Yale's previous five defeats were decided by six points or less, including a tough loss at Brown on Fri., Jan. 15. If there's one thing all good basketball teams must do to win, it is put teams away in the final two minutes, or storm back in the closing moments of a tight game. Yale's failure to put away its opponents has made for a frustrating season.

"I think it's pretty obvious that we've played poorly in the final two minutes of games," Captain Autumn Braddock, BK '99, said. "We have to concentrate on things that make teams successful in those final minutes. On defense, you can't expect to stop a team every time they have possession, but you might try to hold them to only two points in the last two minutes, and then try to generate some offense. And if you're up, you need to hit your free throws, take care of the ball, and box out."

Braddock's teammates agree that defensive rebounding may be the most important aspect of success in close games. During a few of their tight losses this season, the Bulldogs surrendered second- and third-shot opportunities--chances that led to points for opposing teams. Katy Grubbs, SM '99, who watched Braddock join her Tuesday as one of only 13 players in Yale's history to score more than 1,000 career points, believes that quality play on the boards will translate into victories.

"When the other team misses a shot, you have to get that rebound," Grubbs noted. "It's especially important in close games, when every extra chance you give the other team can hurt you. As a team, we've committed to focusing on boxing out and getting in good position to get those rebounds."

What Yale does with the ball after collecting such rebounds, however, may be just as important in turning the season around. Recently, the team has struggled at the free-throw line, where concentration and confidence are most important. Yale's inability to put teams away by hitting free throws has resulted in opponents' ability to claw their way back into contests, and eventually to come out on top.

The Blue will look to put its improvement plans into action on Fri., Jan. 22, when the team faces Brown for the second time in eight days. Brown took advantage of Yale's late struggles when the two faced off in Providence, and came away with a 61-55 victory. While Yale is focusing on individual aspects of the game, the players cannot deny that revenge will be on their minds as they walk onto the court.

The team is confident. "We're very optimistic about our chances," Braddock said. "We know they are beatable. Last time we played, our offense was terrible. As long as we play solid defense this time, we should be in much better shape. Also, coach [Cecilia] DeMarco has only beaten Brown once in her time at Yale--so we'd love to have this game even more."

DeMarco sees Friday's game against Brown as Yale's opportunity to correct the mistakes it made when the teams last met. In particular, the coach is looking for improvement in execution.

" We know the things that cost us against Brown," DeMarco said. "We have to do a better job at finishing against a pressing team. Late in the last game, we did a nice job breaking the press, but then made some mistakes in the frontcourt once we got past the first lines of defense."

After losing so many close contests, DeMarco places her coaching emphasis on breaking down games into individual elements. She realizes that trying to turn around a difficult season in one fell swoop would be both unproductive and impossible. Her philosophy stresses concentration on specific skills.

"The important thing to remember is that in a close game, you don't have to fix every problem," DeMarco said. "If we take one thing and fix it, we might be successful in that game. As a player, the most important thing to do is break down your goals into simple steps. If we can do that, and improve on the individual aspects of our game, the rest of the season will work itself out."

Photo of Autumn Braddock, BK '99, courtesy Sports Publicity.

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