Can Elis bounce back from two overtime Ivy losses?

Showing their potential but falling just short of a much-needed win, the Bulldogs suffered two overtime losses last weekend. On Fri., Feb. 2, Yale took top-ranked Penn into overtime before the Quakers pulled ahead.

Following this loss, the women attempted to turn it around the next night against a rested Princeton team. While the Tigers led for much of the first half, Yale ended the first half with a 16-4 run, bringing the score to a tight 30-26. With 17 seconds left in the second half, Princeton led by just two points. The Bulldogs found Meg Simpson, SY '02, who tied the game up with just four seconds on the clock. The score seesawed throughout overtime, but Princeton had the last possession of the game—a free-throw—which gave the team a 61-60 win.

The Bulldogs are confident these close losses indicate future success. Guard Caitlin Bair, TD '02, said, "We've proven to ourselves that we can get the job done, but we need to prove it to the rest of the league."

The Bulldogs will face two key Ivy League opponents this weekend—Columbia, 3-3 in the league, and Cornell, currently 2-4. The women feel the pressure to win, but nonetheless are confident. Helene Schutrumpf, BK '03, said, "We know we have to get a couple of wins, and this weekend is going to be a great opportunity to get them."

Just eight games remain in the 2000-01 season. The seniors hope to use this weekend to begin a string of wins to culminate their Yale careers. Bair summarized the feelings of the seniors, saying, "I can feel that our seniors are really going to step it up and have some great games this weekend." —Katie Cole

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