The women’s basketball team faced two tough opponents this week, falling to Manhattanville University and Haverford College in non-conference action, bringing their record to 0-3 on the season.
In the matchup against Manhattanville University, junior Bailey Murrell opened the scoring with a jumper, keeping the game close early. However, the Valiants responded quickly, and a 0-7 run put them ahead, closing the first quarter with 8-15. Manhattanville continued to dominate the game, building a lead by halftime with a 21-39 score. The Valiants outscored Ramapo in the third and fourth quarters, sealing the win, 38-62.
Manhattanville was led by three players who scored in double figures, with Kathleen O’Mara contributing 12 points, Madison Carlo adding 11 and Julie Debrocky finishing with 10. Niyona Smith recorded nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. The Valiants shot 35% from the field, 28% from the three-point line, and 54% from the free-throw line.
Despite the loss, the Roadrunners had some notable performances, notably from freshman Damiya Graham, who posted her first double-digit performance of her career with 10 points, also collecting two rebounds and one assist.
In an email to The Ramapo News, Graham said, “My thought after any loss, is how we can improve as a team and what can I do better to put into the team that will improve our future outcomes. It was my first game back and first college game, so I was trying to do as much as possible to help the team after being out for two weeks.”
Senior Alison Ahern also had a strong showing, recording a career-high 16 rebounds and adding eight points, two steals and one blocked shot. Other Roadrunners also added to the score including freshman Angelene Mattingly, finishing with six points, two steals and one blocked shot while junior Brianna Smith contributed with four points and six rebounds. Murrell added four points, four rebounds and two steals. Ramapo struggled with shooting, finishing the game with 30% from the field and 14% from the three-point line, however, performing well from the free throw line with 70%.
The Roadrunners continued to struggle in their second game of the week against Haverford College, falling 45-80. The Fords came out strong, led by Audrey Jakway, who recorded 26 points, including a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. Caroline Orza added 16 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Brianna Feifer contributed 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Haverford shot 50% from the field, 56% from beyond the three-point line and 91% from the free throw line. The Fords also capitalized on Ramapo’s mistakes, forcing 13 turnovers that led to 17 points.
For the Roadrunners, Graham again led the way with a career-high 11 points, while sophomore Lauren Flatt matched her career-high with nine points and a new personal best of 10 rebounds. Murrell, freshman Jocelyn Huancaya, and freshman Emma Cartwright each added six points, with Murrell contributing a team-high four assists. Ramapo finished the game shooting just 31% from the field and 14% from three-point range. The Roadrunners also struggled to convert from the free-throw line, making only 64% of their attempts.
Senior leader Ahern reflected on both of the games, “I wouldn’t completely classify each game as a loss based on the positive outcomes of each game. The team is in an unusual position already with only having 2 returning players for this season,” she said, “The growing pains of trying to gel as a team when everyone is new isn’t an ideal situation for our team to be in, but we’re getting better and better with time.”
While both games resulted in losses for Ramapo, there were individual standout performances, particularly from the freshman Graham. The team is going to take on Medgar Evers College on the road on Nov. 23 at 12:30 p.m.
lkelyman@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @katierygielgraphics, Instagram
