Tournament victory starts off strong season, Lady Bullets jump start new season under direction of new head coach Nate Davis
Photo courtesy of gettysburg.edu. Senior Jessica Porter hit the game-winning bucket to help the Bullets beat Geneseo State in a close matchup.
By Meredith Tombs, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg women’s basketball team is off to a strong start with two victories in the recent Frostburg State Tournament on Nov. 20 and 21. The Bullets pulled out a close 50-47 win over Geneseo State, followed by a decisive 83-53 victory against Frostburg State. The Bullets took home the championship at the Frostburg Tournament for the third year in a row.
A loss against Johns Hopkins in a close game (43-45) last Tuesday put the Bullets at a 2-1 record just before Thanksgiving break. The team looks to keep up the winning record as they get deeper into the 2015-2016 season.
This season is the first for head coach Nate Davis with Gettysburg. Three first-years have joined the squad as well, and the fresh dynamic is meshing effectively both on and off the court so far.
“Coming in knowing that it was a new coach, it was comforting knowing that I was on the same level as everyone else, as far as their relationship with him,” said first-year Teal Tasker. Tasker has appeared in the first three games of the season, putting up seven points and four assists.
Sophomore guard Jamie Relin, with five rebounds and three forced turnovers this season, is proud of the effort her team has exerted in the preseason. “We’re getting used to the coaching style and we’re getting better every day,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to showing everyone all the hard work we’ve put in.”
Seniors Jess Porter, Emily Duggan, and Kim Ryan return for their final season with the Bullets, and have been integral parts of the team’s success thus far.
Forward Jess Porter has fifty points this season and was named the Centennial Conference Co-Player of the Week after the championship game in the Frostburg State tournament. She totaled a personal best twenty-nine points and snagged thirteen rebounds.
Forward Emily Duggan has twenty points so far this season. She also dished out twelve assists and posted twenty-four rebounds in the first three games.
Guard Kim Ryan, with sixteen assists and twenty-two points this season, is optimistic about this year’s success. The team is working hard to utilize the new defense and different offensive plays.
“Defense has always been one of our strengths,” said Ryan. “As for our offense, when we execute, [the plays] look really good. We get a lot of opportunities, but sometimes when we rush and get ahead of ourselves, we have trouble getting organized.”
Ryan and the rest of the team know what they need to work on in order to meet success in their upcoming games. “One of our weaknesses in the past has been finishing games,” said Ryan. “We play really well in a competitive game, but we struggle finishing and end up losing. We’re definitely working on the end-of-the-game situations and being mentally tough throughout the entire game.”
The Bullets played at Dickinson College Tuesday, Dec. 1 where they pushed past the Red Devils 53-41.
Gettysburg will now travel to Muhlenberg this Saturday, Dec. 5 for what looks to be, according to both players and fans, a great matchup.
“They’re probably our biggest rival,” said Ryan. “We’re very similar teams. A lot of past years, we split [the win] with them – we’ll win one, then they’ll win one. Last year, we lost by one point.”
It looks to be an exciting season coming up for Gettysburg! Keep an eye out for the Bullets this season as they look to improve on last season’s 16-9 overall record.
