By Hayden Cogswell
The Colorado College women’s basketball team improved to 4-3 last weekend, winning two tournament games in a row for the first time since 2008.
The Tigers took to the court Friday night against Pacific University. The Tigers were slow out of the gates and the Boxers took full advantage, building an 11-point lead while going 5 of 6 from three-point range.
However, the Tigers got their rhythm back and worked their way into the game. At the end of the third quarter, CC had tied the game at 48-48, and a go-ahead bucket by Izzy Hensley ’22 just 48 seconds into the fourth quarter put the Tigers up for good.
Strong performances from both McKenzee Gertz ’21 and Jordan Meltzer ’20 propelled CC to victory. Gertz finished with a game high 23 points, and Meltzer ended the contest with 17 points, 10 of which came in a critical third quarter for the Tigers.
The following night, the Tigers took on Macalester College in a tight affair at Reid Arena. In a game that went back and forth it was ultimately sound shooting that carried CC to victory.
The Scots led up until the final two seconds of the game when, with the score tied at 57-57, Gertz put away the go ahead three to give CC a lead it would not relinquish. Clutch free throws late in the game by Anna Fanelli ’23 and Abby Walz ’21 were enough to seal the victory as the tigers won the match 59-64.
Gertz once again put in a standout performance, finishing with a team high of 16 points to drive CC to victory. Rosie Braley ’23 additionally put in a noticeable performance with 15 points on the night.
The two victories mean the Tigers are currently on a 4-0-winning streak and sit with an overall record of 4-3 for the season. Throughout the weekend the versatility of the team was on show, with Meltzer quick to point out the shared responsibility between teammates.
“Everyone played really well, from the starters to the bench,” Meltzer said. “Every single person on our team contributed and produced productive minutes. I couldn’t be prouder of how everyone played; our chemistry is solid on and off the court.”
With a strong start to the season under way, the Tigers will be focused on reaching a lofty goal: finishing the season as SCAC champions.
“Our main goal is to win SCAC and we have been on the right path,” Meltzer said. “The team’s attitude is just to get after it at practice every single day and make each other better.”
Next up for the team comes conference play, beginning with a tough matchup against Southwestern University.
“Conference is up next, and I know we are all excited to open that up at home,” Julia Moore ’20 said. “We’ve grown so much this year, so I think we’re just excited to put ourselves to the test in conference!”