Cardinal Points

Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kelli Catana PSUC senior guard Detina Santiago drives past a St. Lawrence defender during a game on Tuesday, Nov. 27 in Memorial Hall. The Lady Cards lost 54-72.

The Lady Cardinals basketball team is looking forward to their first conference game at Morrisville tonight. They are confident after a disappointing 72-54 home loss Tuesday to St. Lawrence and are eager to accomplish a victory in their first away game.

This is Morrisville's first year in the SUNYAC, which makes the game more important. Plattsburgh State would typically play the the Mustangs only once during a season - now they will play twice. In last year's game, PSUC won on the road 52-38. None of the players are worried about the game, and Head Coach Cheryl Cole considers it to be "their first big test."

The team has struggled rebounding and committing turnovers. This is a problem that will be addressed in practice and needs to be executed during their games, Cole said.

"We need to work on boxing out as a team," sophomore Casey Clark said.

During the St. Lawrence game the team found passing to be a problem. They turned the ball over 34 times compared to the Saints' 25. St. Lawrence utilized full-court press and the Lady Cardinals were unable to make good passes and get the ball in the post.

"We will work on passing, especially bounce passes," freshman Katie Simpson said.

At times against the Saints the Lady Cards were trapped and forced to make bad passes.

"They got hot," junior captain Megan Lynch said. "Their momentum got going and we got rattled under pressure."

Turnovers have been a problem for Lady Cardinals so far this season. After routing Hilbert College 81-32 in the opening round of the Cardinal Classic on Nov. 17, they committed 20 turnovers in a blowout 62-38 loss to Mount St. Mary College the next day.

Morrisville is a young team and recently became a four-year school and most of the players are freshmen and sophomores. PSUC has veteran leadership and hopes to use it as an advantage in the game against Morrisville.

"Next game (Morrisville), we'll come out of our shell," Simpson said.

Clarkson will be the next game after Morrisville and PSUC will be focused on that game after they play Morrisville as the team wants to take it one game at a time.

Continued...

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