By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
The women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to nine games, the longest in 20 years. They beat Bentley University 57-39 on Saturday, Jan. 31 at home.
The win takes the Owls to a 10-1 record in the NE10 and places them atop the conference alongside Bentley, who had won 28 straight conference games prior to Saturday’s matchup.
It was the first time the women had beaten Bentley in two years.
“They have a really great coach. They have really great players. They are really well disciplined,” forward Reyna Steinauer, a senior, said. “But we are too, and today we overstepped them.”
Steinauer led the team with 21 points, including two soul-crushing three pointers in the second half, bringing her season average to 15.5 points a game. She leads the team and is fourth in the NE10.
Steinauer and forward Tish Blackwood, a freshman, have taken over in the paint after an injury to forward Jada Williams, a graduate.
“I’ve had to become more aggressive in the post. I wasn’t here to be a post player. I was here to be a floater, but now I have to take that role,” Blackwood said. “It’s a lot, but it’s made me a better player.”
Blackwood, despite battling through injuries herself, has taken on an outsized role in the team. She leads the team in rebounds and did so again against Bentley, finishing with 14. She also scored 18 points.
“It can take awhile to get comfortable as a freshman, but she’s really stepped up,” Head Coach Kate Lynch said.
The Owls led, save the first basket of the game, from wire to wire. The largest lead was 23 points. For the first 13 minutes of the second half, Bentley only managed to score four.
“We over-prepared on defense. We shut down their go-to players thanks to our amazing defenders,” Steinauer said. “They didn’t know how to handle it when we shut down their main players.”
All five starters played 30 minutes. Guard Ally Sentance, a senior, was the only bench player to play meaningful minutes.
Point guard Jillian Martin, a graduate, controlled the offense with poise. She helped guide an organized unit each and every time the Owls took the ball up court. She finished with four assists.
Through attrition, the Owls maintained composure. The team finished with seven blocks, never took a play off and forced their opponent into submission.
Leadership exudes from Lynch, channels through her players and bleeds onto the court. The team is hungry for more.
“We know what we have to do. It’s nothing new now. We just have to keep pushing forward,” Steinauer said.
