NEWBURGH, N.Y. --- The 2021-22 women's basketball season officially began today as the No. 24 Bruins traveled to face coach Michael Coppolino's former squad, the Mount Saint Mary Knights, in a 61-59 loss for the Bruins.
How It Happened
Playing their first game outside of the Pacific Northwest since the spring of 2020, George Fox got off to an early 7-2 lead and was able to build some early momentum. However, the Knights' shots began to fall as the Bruins' began to miss and MSMC outscored Fox 18-5 in the last seven minutes of the first quarter to take a 20-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action.
The Knights outscored the Bruins 17-13 in the second quarter as Fox fought to find its rhythm. Fox out-rebounded the Knights but shot just 29% from the field in the quarter and trailed 37-25 at the break.
The Bruins made their adjustments at the half and outscored MSMC 19-13 in the third. Fox held the Knights scoreless for seven minutes to start the second half and clawed back to a 50-44 deficit after three quarters.
Erin Yoshitake hit a three to kick off the fourth frame, and the Bruins were able to tie the score at 50-50 with another Yoshitake trey from the corner early in the fourth quarter. An Emily Stephens layup, foul shots, and a Rachel Parks triple put Fox ahead by four, 57-53, but the Knights came storming back. Critical giveaways hurt the Bruins' offense in the final seconds and Fox's last-second layup wasn't enough to force overtime in a 61-59 defeat.
Top Performances
Yoshitake and Stephens tied for the team lead with 12 points apiece and Alyssa Wells tallied 11 in her collegiate debut. Stephens pulled in nine boards to lead the team and Ella Roberts handed out five assists in the loss. As a team, the defense did well to extend out to the three-point line and held the Knights to a 17.6% performance from outside the arc while out-rebounding the Knights 50-38.
Coach's Thoughts
"I thought our defense was okay but ultimately they dictated the tempo and forced us into mistakes," coach Coppolino said after the game. "Our turnovers led to 23 points for them [tonight] - we have to value each possession."
What It Means
George Fox begins its new season with an 0-1 record in its East Coast trip but showed flashes throughout the night of promise for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign.
Up Next
Fox faces the Trinity (Conn.)Â Bantams on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 12:00 pm PT, before wrapping up its first road trip of the season with a tilt at Emerson (Mass.) on Sunday, Nov. 14.
