After losing a pair last weekend against SUNYAC opponents, the Plattsburgh State women’s basketball team has a chance to redeem themselves in this Friday’s road matchup. The Cardinals face up against Potsdam, an opponent they defeated earlier in the season.
“The energy wasn’t there last weekend. Away trips are usually harder for us,” freshman forward Zionna Brunson said. “We’re going to go in with the same mentality that we had last time.”
Despite their two previous losses, the Cards are still battling for the final spot in the SUNYAC playoffs.
With PSUC having eight freshmen and two sophomores, making it a roster predominantly made up of underclassmen, the leadership from the three upperclassmen is crucial at this point in the season.
“At the beginning of the season, being so young kind of discouraged us,” Brunson said. “Not only does our leadership come from them (the upperclassmen) but it comes from everyone on the team. We all show leadership characteristics so we all tend to work on that together.”
Guard Brooke Benna is another one of the freshmen who has learned a great deal from the returning players this year.
“They have been great leaders for us,” Benna said. “They’ve really shown us the ropes, and it’s really great to see us all thrive together.”
The Cards have the opportunity Friday to even up their record on the road this season, and come back after two disappointing road losses from last weekend.
“Coming off of last weekend, we need every win we can get,” Benna said. “We’re treating every game the same. We’re going out there to get the ‘W’ so we can be ready for playoffs.”
While everyone on the team is emphasizing the importance of staying positive, freshman guard Christina Testa stated the fact that they absolutely have the necessary talent to compete with any opponent in the league, but sometimes get caught up in the little things that end up chipping away at the team’s confidence.
“We’ve mainly been working on playing as a team, the communication on the floor and picking up our defense,” Testa said. “We all have the skill and talent, but we all have to come together as one. Once we find that good chemistry, I think we’ll do really well in these upcoming games.”
PSUC enters Friday’s conference road game against Potsdam with an overall record of 9-12. With 10 of its 12 losses coming against conference opponents, this game poses as a potential threat to the Cards’ playoff push – making it a must win in order to have a chance.
“We have the ability to go to the playoffs, we can win these three (conference) games,” Testa said. “We can’t underestimate any opponent. If we play good defense and execute good offense, we believe we can win any game.”
PSUC will be in Potsdam for tipoff at 7:30 p.m. tonight, in hopes to sweep the season serious against one another.
“If we maintain our positive energy, I think we should be good,” Testa said.
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
