Gator Women Show Promise

Feb 28, 2006

MEADVILLE, Pa.- The Allegheny College women’s basketball team finished the year with an 18-9 overall record, while winning 13 out of 16 in the NCAC. The team finished second in the conference, only one game behind Wittenberg. After an 89-72 victory over Earlham, the Gators headed to Springfield, Ohio to take on Denison in the Semi-Finals. The season ended for the Blue and Gold, as Denison moved on with a 59-42 victory.

Despite the loss, the Gators felt that they exceeded the expectations set out in the preseason. “I would say that we certainly met our expectations,” said Allegheny head coach Jennifer Reimer. “We even went beyond the expectations that people outside of the program had for us. In the preseason, we were picked by the coaches and media to finish fourth in the league and we finished second, only one game behind the regular season champions. So I believe we went beyond expectations as far as that is concerned.”

The season started shaky, as Allegheny stumbled to a 1-3 start, before winning four of their next five. January rolled around and the Gators put on their hard hats and steel toe boots and went to work. After a tough 63-50 loss to conference champion Wittenberg on January 6th, the team went on to win eight in a row, before Wittenberg came into Meadville, and ended the streak with a 57-54 victory.

Allegheny would not lose again in the regular season, as the team finished the last three games with victories over Wooster, Denison, and Hiram. A 13-3 NCAC record put the Blue and Gold as the second seed, setting up a home playoff game against Earlham. The Quakers were overmatched, and fell out of the playoffs as the Gators advanced to the semi-finals with an 89-72 victory. Next up, the Big Red of Denison University.

The Gators traveled to Springfield, Ohio, the site of the NCAC final four to take on a team, Denison, that they had twice defeated earlier this year. In the first meeting on January 14, 2006, the Big Red came to the David V. Wise Center and were sent home with a 61-51 loss. Allegheny’s defense held Denison to 26.6% from the field, while the Gators shot 41.1%. Denison turned the ball over 25 times, but hung close by out rebounding the home team, 49-33. The end result was another check under the win column for the Gators.

Nearly a month later, February 11, 2006, the Gators had to travel to Granville, Ohio for a rematch. The game was back and forth, and again Allegheny outshot the Big Red, this time 42.9% to 32.3%. Allegheny forced Denison into 20 turnovers, but Denison crashed the boards, out rebounding the Blue and Gold 45-34. The end result was a 61-57 victory for the visiting Gators.

On February 24, the Big Red had one last shot at defeating the Gators, but this time it was a game that meant a lot more. It was a combination of Denison’s defense and a poor shooting night for the Gators that sent Allegheny packing early. The Big Red shot 38.2% and held Allegheny to just 23.4%. Despite the loss, coach Reimer is pleased with the season. “We understood as a team that we were capable of a lot. We went out, we played hard, and we played as a team. It was a wonderful year.”

The season is now over, and the Gators will be losing six seniors, but Coach Reimer is still hopeful for next season. “I’m happy with what we have coming back. I’m excited about who we have returning. Certainly when you lose six seniors there are holes to fill, but I think we have those pieces already in the program to help fill those voids. We are going to miss our seniors because of the type of competitors they are and the type of people they are.”

The team is moving forward and looking forward to the 2006-07 season. “We want to get back to where we were this season, and compete for a regular season conference championship. We are setting our goals to get beyond the semi-final round of the NCAC tournament. I’m looking forward to working with this group of women and looking to improve on a wonderful 05-06 season.”

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