Box Score
WHENHAM, MA - Following Friday's sub-par performance on the defensive end, the women's basketball team knew heading into Saturday's contest that in order to pull out the team's first win of the season, things would need to change.
Take it as a lesson learned.
The Crimson Eagles rebounded from Friday's defeat by piecing together a punishing defensive scheme throughout Saturday's contest to help produce their first triumph of the year as the group rolled through MIT by a final count of 57-43. PBU shadowed the Engineers all afternoon, limiting MIT to 24.6 percent shooting for the game while allowing just 15 made field goals from the floor.
The effort was considered that much sweeter following a shaky performance on the defensive side of the ball less than 24 hours ago.
"We played really good defense in the first half," head coach Drew Watson said before recounting that comment. "Actually, check that, we played pretty well defensively the entire game, and it showed it in the result."
PBU's stingy effort would help catapault the group to a 37-17 halftime advantage, a mark that the group would refuse to concede despite several late game runs from the Engineers. With a blistering performance from beyond the arc by senior Dani Norton opening up the paint, the Crimson Eagles would end the contest with a significant advantage in interior buckets (18-10).
"It felt good to finally jump out of the gates early," Watson continued. "I thought we managed the game well and thankfully we were able to weather their runs in the second half."
Perhaps the Crimson Eagles' only area of concern was their lack of efficiency on the defensive glass as MIT coralled 18 offensive boards for the night, marking the second time this year PBU's given up 18 or more.
Thankfully, PBU erased whatever deficit they experienced in the rebounding department by naling 46.7 percent of their attempts for the afternoon while knocking down eight of 16 long balls - seven of those makes coming from Norton.
Norton finished with her third straight 20 point outburst to open the season as the senior guard ripped the nets for 29 points on 11 of 23 shooting including a seven for 12 mark from downtown. Fellow senior Lindsey Fornwalt added 15 points and eight boards while knocking down five of eight shots, and Sarah Oessenich chipped in seven boards, five assists, and five steals.
The Crimson Eagles will return to Langhorne on Monday when the squad hosts Davis College during their first NCCAA East Region contest of the season. Tip-off time against the Falcons is slated for 7:00 pm in the Mason Activity Center.
