Women’s basketball starts strong in Frostburg Tournament
Photo courtesy of gettysburg.edu. Gettysburg won the Frostburg State Tip-off Tournament for the third year in a row.
By William LeCony, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg women’s basketball got off to a quick start in the Frostburg State Tournament over the weekend. The Bullets posted wins over twentieth ranked Geneseo State, and Frostburg State, respectively, on the path to winning the tournament. Senior forward Jessica Porter was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Head Coach Nathan Davis was impressed with the good showing. Coach Davis said, “The team did a great job playing together and executing in our first weekend in Frostburg.”
Gettysburg’s win over Geneseo State in the first round was impressive since the latter was a ranked team. It was a hard-fought win that was characterized by strong defensive play, particularly in the second half.
The game had an exciting finish as well. Gettysburg and Geneseo State were tied at 47 a piece until Jessica Porter hit a three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the game to clinch the win for the Bullets.
Senior guard Kim Ryan led the team with ten points in the 50-47 win, and Porter finished with nine. Sophomore forward Emily Gibbons also had a strong all-around performance, with nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block.
Gettysburg’s victory over Frostburg State the next day was a decisive one to say the least. The Bullets prevailed over Frostburg 83-53 to win the tournament.
Jessica Porter was the standout star in the victory, posting a career high in points with twenty-nine points. She also came up with thirteen rebounds in the win. Her strong performance in the tournament earned her recognition as the Centennial Conference player of the week.
A number of other Bullets had strong performances in the game against Frostburg as well. Senior guard Emily Duggan had a solid game with fifteen points, eleven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Emily Gibbons finished with ten points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and senior Kim Ryan had nine points, nine assists, and five rebounds.
A pair of impressive wins to start the season can often be seen as a sign of good things to come, and Coach Davis would agree.
Coach Davis said, “Our wins this weekend are a good sign of potential on this team.” He knows this does not mean things will be easy for them either. “We need to continue to work hard every day to reach our potential,” he said.
The Bullets will not have time to rest, as a trio of conference opponents await them in Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, and Muhlenberg, respectively. These games are very important, as getting off to a winning start in conference play would put Gettysburg in good shape right away, and set them up for a successful season going forward.
The importance of these next three games was emphasized by Coach Davis as well.
Coach Davis said, “We can’t be too satisfied with our effort in Frostburg, as we have some tough early conference games against Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, and Muhlenberg in front of us, so we have to be ready right from the start of conference play.”
