Bobby Martinez – Sports Reporter
NEW HAVEN– Heading into the season, the Owls were picked last in their division, a division in which they moved into second place after defeating American International College (AIC), 73-66, giving them their third win on the season and second straight win overall.
“We were picked last,” said DeSalvo in regards to the pre-season rankings. “I told them to take it personal. We are starting to play for each other and also starting to play together. We are playing hard, smart and together, that’s what we preach.”
Playing together is what the Owls have been doing in their last two games winning by an average of five points. Turnovers, this season, have really hurt the Owls in closing minutes in numerous game this season. Against AIC, the Owls were much more careful with the ball, turning the ball over a season low eight times, which guided them to a first half lead 33-25.
In the first half, Owls senior Jackie Beathea, who has been the Owls most consistent low post presence alongside Danielle Powell, finished the half with six points and six rebounds. But the second half was a different story.
Beathea would attack the boards even more and also the paint. Her post game is something she said she focused on the most all summer because she knows how important her role is on this team.
“That is something I definitely worked on,” said Beathea who finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds. “That’s what I do. I jump really high, so I use my strengths the best I can to help my team get the win.”
The Owls managed to hold the lead majority of the game. But AIC wasn’t going away without a fight. There was a stint in the second half where both teams were trading leads. AIC would take the lead, 45-43, with 12 minutes left in the second half. But a layup by Powell that tied the game up at 45, sparked the Owls to not look back the entire game. The Owls would go on to win their third game on the season 73-66.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said senior point guard Mariah Hankton who scored 26 points their previous game in a win against College of Saint Rose 78-75. “We had a good win against St. Rose which kind of translated into today’s game. We had to do what we had to do this game and we executed.”
With now a two game win streak heading into their matchup against Concordia College, DeSalvo said his team has been playing much better due to the increase of team chemistry.
“We just have been gutting it out in the stretch and have executed late in the games,” said DeSalvo. “I think the kids are getting a little more comfortable playing together. I kind of told them to be patient. They were a little impatient early on, but we just kept the momentum going and now they are just starting to figure it out.”
He added, “I thought we always had good chemistry in our scrimmages. But it’s just different. There’s fans, refs and your under the lights. It’s just the game pressure. You just got to get used to it really. It’s a process. We kind of live in a world of instant gratification where we want right away. We’re starting to figure it out. We’re not where we need to be, but we’re starting to get there.”
Despite the win, DeSalvo said there is still some work that needs to be done.
“I thought we were physical,” said DeSalvo. “We only allowed four offensive rebounds in the second half and they were bigger than us. Most of the teams we play are going to be bigger than us. We’ve really been focused on limiting our turnovers. When we don’t turn the ball over and score the ball, good things happen. As long as we keep working on those two things, we will be alright.”
