Clark sends off seniors while Raising Awareness for Breast Cancer

By: Sarah Hunsucker

The Kneller Athletic Center was a sea of pink last night as the Clark Women’s basketball team hosted Wellesley College for their final home contest and senior night, as well as the “Think Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness initiative. The Cougars played a tight game against Wellesley, with the lead changing 14 times, and the score tied six times before a final defining moment at the 00:21 mark, when Jessica Duff of Wellesley pulled down an offensive board and put it back, drawing the foul for a free-throw attempt. This tied up the score 68-68 with only 22 seconds left to go. Following this, Wellesley dropped two free throws, making it a score of 68-70 from which Clark would not recover.

This game dropped the women to an 8-15 (4-8 NEWMAC) record; however, it does not delineate whether or not the team will be cut from the NEWMAC playoffs. Clark will have one more chance at a win in their final scheduled conference game at Wheaton. Hopefully, with the return of second leading scorer (13.4 avg) and rebounder (5.4 avg), Jill Camilleri, the Cougars can fight for a spot in the NEWMAC tournament.

This year, the team has had a strong roster with 13 returners, 4 of them veteran starters. One big player this season has been Sarah Roderigue, a junior tri-captain on the squad. Roderigue put up 25 points in the game against Wellesley, and she has been a consistent contributor for the team, averaging 17.3 points/game and 7.7 rebounds/game. Sara Hagstrom, another tri-captain and the team’s point guard has led the way for the troop with her sharp defensive skills and her innate ability to see the court. Hagstrom contributed a game and team high of nine assists in her performance against Wellesley, a task she repeated since the team’s contest at Springfield College.

The game against Wellesley though, was all about the seniors. Clark will graduate Jess Lamothe, a two-year captain and graduate student who has acted as a versatile player for the group. She has been a key asset to the team on offense and defense. Kristin Healy, a senior and four-year letter winner will also be retiring after this season. She boasts the third most assists on the team, and brings a high level of pressure to Clark’s backcourt defense. These two players have been an integral part of the Clark Women’s Basketball program for the past four years.

Another important part of the game against Wellesley was the global movement that was taking place on the court. Both teams participated in the “Think Pink” unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Both teams were decked in pink warm-ups and shoelaces, and the referees wore pink whistles. The stands were full of fans in pink, all gathered to support this great cause. The Clark Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) raised almost 200 dollars to go towards finding a cure for Breast Cancer. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year of “Think Pink” a success. The 2008 initiative has already unified over 600 women’s basketball teams for the cause.

The Cougars will continue to fight for a win in their next face-up with Wheaton College on Saturday, February 23rd for their final conference contest, and this game will determine the fate of their post season.

Lady Cougars Knock Down MIT 55-46

By: Sarah Hunsucker

Saturday afternoon marked another conference win for the Clark University women’s basketball team. The Cougars overcame MIT 55-46 after breaking away from a close comeback effort by the engineers in the second half. Clark advances their record to 4-5 in the NEWMAC (8-12 overall), while MIT drops to a 2-7 conference record (9-11 overall).

Clark was led by Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, Me.) who had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists and was 100% from the free-throw line. Jess Lamothe (Westboro, Mass.) and Hannah Lacaire (East Brookfield, Mass.) added to the offensive effort with eight and seven points respectively. Katelyn Petty (Worcester, Mass.) also chipped in with a game-high eight rebounds.

The Cougars came out on fire in the first half when Blaize Denfield (South Windsor, Conn.) scored six straight points, making it 12-0. They continued to widen the gap with a collective offensive team effort and a relentless defensive force. Sara Hagstrom (Yarmouth, Me.) and Sarah Roderigue each had 4 steals, helping the team to grab 13 steals overall. The Cougars led at the half 35-19.

In the second half, the Cougars sustained their offensive advantage until a dual scoring effort by Kelsey Cappelle (Ringoes, NJ) and Cheryl Kwinn (Monroe, NY) put the Engineers within two points. Capelle scored all of her 10 points during this run and Kwinn scored six of her eight, but it was not enough to break the tone that the Cougars had set earlier in the game. Hagstrom, Lamothe, and Kristin Healy (Brookeline, Mass.) took advantage of MIT’s foul trouble and closed the opportunity by shooting 100% from the free-throw line in the final five minutes of the contest.

Samia Mahjub (Barrington, Ill.) was the leading scorer for the Engineers with 12 points, and seven rebounds. Kwinn finished with eight points and eight rebounds, and Clara Yuan (San Jose, Cali.) also had eight points.

Clark will continue their conference play and try to bounce back from their loss to Coast Guard when they travel to Springfield College on February 16th. The next home contest will be on Wednesday, February 20th at 7pm when the Cougars host Wellesley College for Senior Night in the Kneller Athletic Center. This night will also be dedicated to the “Think Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness global initiative.

Spirit Night a Good Time, for All?

By Bill Cobb

On Wednesday night Clark hosted Spirit Night at the Kneller Athletic Center. The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams and the men’s basketball team faced off against cross-town conference rivals WPI. For the swim and dive team, the evening also marked Senior Night, where Shyamal Asher, Kara Bochicchio, Cassandra Crawford, Caitlin Hanson, Jessica Moise, and Marjorie Whalen were recognized for their dedication to the team.

The Cougar faithful packed the seats to cheer on the men’s basketball team as they matched up against the top seeded team in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference in WPI. Clark held the second seed in the battle for conference supremacy.

Spirit Night wasn’t just about the competition, though. The night held plenty of other events for the fans, including a raffle with five winners getting a chance to shoot a half-court shot to win a free car. Seniors Horia Kraus and Mika Sneddon, freshman Julie Murray, and sophomores Josh Dickstein and Alex Atkins all had their lucky numbers drawn to make the deep shot. None of the raffle winners made the basket, but they all got their 15 minutes of fame at center court.

Laurel Holden’s raffle ticket also proved lucky when she was selected “Fan of the Game,” earning her a seat on the comfortable leather couches set up in the corner of the court. Several other prizes were awarded throughout the night for those with fortunate numbers.

With all the activities available during the night, one thing was noticeably missing. While the swim and dive teams and men’s basketball team enjoyed a boisterous crowd on their home turf, the women’s basketball team was absent from the night’s festivities. Fans could only question why the event wasn’t held on a night when all three teams held home contests.

“It unfortunate that the women’s team didn’t get a chance to show what they can do in front of this huge crowd for Spirit Night,” said David Blum, a senior soccer player at Clark. “It’s unfair. Here at Clark we try and promote an equal opportunity for all teams to be seen.”

Emily Zoback, another senior, echoed Blum’s sentiments. “This is the first time I can remember Spirit Night without both the men’s and women’s teams,” she said. “I feel bad for the seniors who missed out on their last possible Spirit Night.”

Much of the consideration for selecting the date of Spirit Night involves the availability of a televised broadcast. But this event, a night for the fans and athletes alike, should not simply be about getting Clark on TV—this should be a night that all students and athletes should be able to enjoy together.

Women’s Basketball Shatters Losing Streak

By Sarah Hunsucker

WORCESTER, MA. 2/2/08- The Clark University women’s basketball team came out with a vengeance on Saturday afternoon in the Kneller Athletic Center, beating Smith College 70-47, and handing the Pioneers another loss in their second match-up of the season. This contest allowed the Cougars to break a four-game losing streak and improve their record to 7-11 overall (3-4 NEWMAC). The loss drops Smith’s record to 3-13 overall (2-6 NEWMAC).

Sarah Roderigue (Oakland, Me.) led the Cougars with 25 points and six rebounds. Roderigue was 4-5 from three-point territory, helping the team to achieve a 54.5 percentage from behind the arc in the first half overall. Sara Hagstrom (Yarmouth, Me.) was another force for the cougars, chipping in with 12 points and a season-high six steals. Nicole LeVeque (Billerica, Ma.) and Jess Lamothe (Westboro, Ma.) also backed up the team with nine and eight points respectively.

Leading the Pioneer squad was Berit Schelde (Holstebro, Denmark) with 15 points, Laura Miller (Minneapolis, Minn.) with seven points and ten rebounds, and Meredith Murelli (Litchfield, Conn.) who added seven points and six rebounds.

In the first half Clark led 13-6 before scoring 11 unanswered points to create a 24-6 lead at the 10:17 mark. Roderigue scored seven of those points during the run. Clark’s tight defense forced Smith to make 17 turnovers in the first half, allowing Clark to score 21 of their 41 first half points. Hagstrom led the defensive endeavor with four of her six steals occurring in the first frame. Smith rallied to within 13 (13-26) on a jumper by Lisa Marie Vuono (Lyndhurst, N.J.) with 8:02 remaining, but Clark used a 15-9 scoring streak, sealed with a baseline jumper from Jess Lamothe (Westboro, Ma.) and a lay-up from Roderigue, for a 41-22 halftime advantage.

In the second half, Clark kept up with their tenacious defense, forcing 11 more Smith turnovers throughout the remainder of the game. Schelde put up 11 of her 15 points and Jennifer Lindsey's (Oklahoma City, OK) basket closed the gap to within 14 (39-53) at the 10:09 mark, but it was not enough to push the Cougars off track. A quick offensive board by Ruth Briggs (Sanford, Me.) and a jumper from Roderigue followed by consecutive threes from Hagstrom and Hannah LeClaire (E. Brookfield, Mass.) re-opened the gap from which Smith could not recover.

Conference play will continue for both teams next week. Clark will travel to Mt. Holyoke on Wednesday (7p.m), while Smith will host Coast Guard that same day (7 p.m.). Clark’s next home game will be on Saturday, Febuaury 9^th at 3pm when they host MIT.

Clark Coasts Early, Hangs on Late to Beat Babson

By Max Bogaert

Wellesley Ma- The Clark University men’s basketball team exploded to a twenty point lead early in the second half then held off a furious Beaver rally for a 59-55 win at Staake Gymnasium. Clark’s active defense aided by a poor shooting performance from Babson, who shot only 38% in the first, allowed them to lead from tip-off to the half. The Cougars shot fifty percent from deep in the first half, hitting seven of fourteen from behind the arc of which Senior Pat Ochoa and Junior Byron Roberts each had two. Clark was playing without sophomore Chris LoPiano who was out with a broken leg. Coach Paul Phillips called LoPiano “a big part of the team and really, the only true point guard we have”. The Cougars made up for the loss by pushing the fast break and rapid substitution. Phillips also mentioned the efforts of graduate student Gunnar Hagstrom and Roberts as the guards who came off the bench, helping keep the energy up.

Controlling the boards and defensive hustle allowed Clark to push the lead to thirteen at the half. The Cougars forced six turnovers and out rebounded the Beavers, while also drawing three big charges. Early in the second half it was all Clark as they continued the 9-0 run to close the first half by ripping off another seven straight points, highlighted by an Ochoa three. Ochoa was huge on defense as well, holding Babson’s leading scorer Kyle McDonald to just ten points on 4-14 shooting. “He did an unbelievable job on him” said Phillips. Ochoa finished with nine points in thirty one minutes. With McDonald under wraps, Babson had to rely on another player to bring the Beavers all the way back. Junior Zach Etten was all over the court, grabbing three key rebounds after missed free throws. He finished with a team high fifteen points.

Babson went on a 10-0 run starting at the eight minute mark, holding the Cougars without a point for over five minutes. “I think when they went to that match up zone, we started to get a little tentative, then they started to score after they were just shooting terribly in the first half. We started to walk it up rather than really go at them” Said coach Phillips of the Babson come back. Overall, it was a 16-2 run that brought the Beavers back all the way with just under two minutes left. Babson also reversed the work on the boards, as they out rebounded the Cougars by nine in the second half, with senior Chris Bradley pulling down six of his eleven in the second half. It was Etten who truly dominated, shooting three of five from deep, including one to knot it up at fifty five with barely over a minute to go.

Mark Alexander hit two pressure free throws to put the Cougars up by two. Alexander struggled mightily from the field, shooting one for eleven on the day, but his work at the line ended up being the difference. With thirty-eight seconds to go, Etten went from hero to goat when he dragged his pivot foot on a jump stop in the lane for the travel and turned the ball back over to Clark. Landers hit one of two from the line and Babson missed two desperation three pointers to give Clark the four point win.

Landers and Junior Pete Normandin held down the low post throughout the game, until Normandin fouled out with nine minutes left. “Pat (Landers) and Pete Normandin did a great job for us today, even though they had about nine fouls between them” Philips said with a laugh. Babson falls to 6-12 overall with a 3-4 record in the New England Women and Men’s Athletic Conference. The Beavers will host Bowdoin College on February 6^th for a non-conference game before heading to Wheaton College on Saturday February 9th The Cougars currently stand at 10-9 overall, with a 5-2 record in conference. The Cougars, who sit alone in second place, host league leaders WPI on Wednesday. Should Clark win they’ll be tied for first place. The Engineers easily won the first contest, 93-74. Saturday the Cougars will gain play host, this time to Springfield College. Clark squeaked by the Pride in their first meeting, 66-64.

Clark Spirit Night!

Come to the Kneller Athletic Center Wednesday, February 6 for Clark Spirit Night. The men's basketball team faces off against WPI at 7 PM, aired live on Channel 3, while the swim and dive teams compete against WPI at 6:30 PM. Enjoy free popcorn and great music, and enter the raffle for great prizes! Bring your Clark ID for a free raffle ticket, and wear a red shirt for a second ticket! Raffle winners get a chance to take a half-court shot for a free car!

The First Show!

By Bill Cobb

Today marked the first airing of Cougar Chat, the R.O.C.U. Clark Athletics Radio Talk Show. I was joined in studio by Max Bogaert and Chris Wiklund, while Jim Callahan called in to report live from Arizona where he is with the Patriots as they prep for the Super Bowl this Sunday. Due to some technical difficulties the first few minutes of our show was cut out, but once the ball got rolling, it all went smoothly. In this week's show:

• Recaps of all the Cougar action, including the women's basketball double-overtime loss to Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, the men's basketball defeat at the hands of MIT, and the men's and women's swimming and diving teams' successful campaigns at the Holy Cross invitational.
• Previews of the upcoming games of the week, including women's basketball facing conference foes Springfield and Smith on Wednesday and Saturday at the Kneller, men's basketball traveling to Babson, and the swim and dive teams heading to Coast Guard.
• Jim Callahan called in to talk about his week with the Patriots in Arizona and Media Day with both teams.
• Max, Chris and I provided our own insight to the Super Bowl match-up, going over the questions regarding Tom Brady's foot, a Giant amount of vomit on a plane, and our Fearless Predictions for the final score.
• Max gave insight to the Celtics' loss of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and brought up the apparent end of discussions for signing Damon Stoudamire.
  
• Chris discussed the trade between the Twins and the Mets involving perennial All-Star Johan Santana for four prospects. Max and I chimed in with our own thoughts about the effect on the Red Sox and Yankees.

Overall I'd say our first show was a great success. We all enjoyed the experience and hope you'll all join us next week and every week, Tuesday nights at 9 PM. Join us next week when Jim returns to the studio with all the coverage of the Super Bowl straight from Arizona, and of course all your Clark Cougar News!

Coast Guard Outlasts Women's Basketball in 2OT Thriller

The Clark University women’s basketball team played a hard-fought battle against the United States Coast Guard Academy at the Kneller Athletic Center on Alumni Day Saturday afternoon. Clark has now dropped three straight to sink to 6-10 overall (2-3 NEWMAC). The Bears extended their NEWMAC unbeaten streak to 6-0 (13-2 overall) with an 86-76 double-overtime victory.

Sarah Roderigue put up a season-high 28 points with five rebounds in the loss. Sara Hagstrom contributed 11 points and 6 assists, and Nicole LeVecque and Katie McCloskey each scored nine to pace the Cougar offense. Melissa Martinelli achieved a career-high 32 points with 15 rebounds and Natalie Moyer notched a season-high 30 points with 8 rebounds to secure the victory.

The Cougars found themselves down 6-1 early following a lay-up from Natalie Moyer, owner of 10 first-half points, but a jumper from Roderigue and consecutive threes from Sara Hagstrom and Roderigue gave Clark the three-point edge, their only lead in the half.

DeCarol Davis answered the call with a three of her own to knot the game at 9-all, and Coast Guard used the momentum shift to slowly build a lead. Back-to-back shots from deep by Jennifer Tamminen and Moyer put the Bears up by nine (22-13), but the Cougars took advantage of turnovers to fight back within three (24-21) following a pair of free throws by Roderigue.

An unusual play occurred with 3:45 to go in the first half when the referees called a double foul. Coast Guard’s Melissa Martinelli was called for an offensive foul at the same time Clark’s Blaize Denfield was stamped with a foul. The double foul resulted in a point of interruption, leaving the ball in Coast Guard’s possession without resetting the shot clock.

Following the stop the Bears pulled away again with eight unanswered points to go up 32-21 with 3:00 left in the half. After trading baskets for the next few minutes, a jumper from Roderigue with 0:12 left to play moved Clark within single digits (36-27) heading into the break.

Clark came roaring out of the gate at the start of the second half, using a 13-2 run to take a 40-38 lead, their first since 5:48 into the game. Nicole LeVecque drained a pair of threes, including the go-ahead score, during the run. Clark pulled to a seven point advantage (51-44) with a three from Sara Hagstrom, but Melissa Martinelli teamed up with Moyer to bring the Bears back within one (56-55).

Kristin Healy and Katie McCloskey each knocked down a three to regain the seven-point spread (62-55), but Moyer sank a clutch three within one minute remaining to bring the score within one possession. A lay-up from Corienne McCormack with six seconds to play in regulation sent this one to overtime.

In the first overtime Martinelli came on strong in the paint, scoring eight of Coast Guard’s ten points in the extra period. After the Bears took a quick four-point lead to start the extended time, Healy hit another clutch three to move within one (66-65). With under a minute to play Martinelli put Coast Guard up 72-70 with a drive to the basket, but Roderigue was fouled with 0:20 to go and stayed calm at the line, knocking down both attempts to tie the score at 72-all and push the game into the second overtime.

In the second overtime Moyer dropped a three pointer for a five-point Coast Guard lead and followed it up just over a minute later with a hard-fought lay-up to go up seven (79-72) with just 2:37 remaining. Clark tried to come back with a three from Hagstrom to pull within five (81-76), but they could not make up the difference. Free throws ended the game for Coast Guard 86-76.

The Clark squad shot well from three-point range in the loss, going 13-35 from deep, including 9-16 in the second half. Playing without star forward Jillian Camilleri, the Cougars were vulnerable in the paint, where Coast Guard scored 34 points to Clark’s six.

Clark Men Sunk by MIT

By Chris Wiklund

The Clark Men’s Basketball team took their 9-7 record to the court against the 11-6 squad from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last Saturday. The Cougars kept pace with the Engineers but trailed through most of the game and fell by a final score of 87-80.

Much first half was a battle between Clark’s Peter Normandin and Pat Landers against the 6’7” foward Hamidou Soumare. The Clark forwards had their hands full with the much taller Soumare as the MIT guards utilized frequent lob passes into the low post and let Soumare convert the lay-in on his way to 16 first half points for the Engineers.

Normandin scored a team high nine points in the first half of play and pulled down two rebounds with three assists. Landers also lead the attack in the first half, scoring seven points and providing key defense against the Engineer attack in the paint. The Clark bench outscored their MIT counterparts 9-2 in the first half and keeping the game within reach and Clark’s big guns rested.

The Cougars enjoyed a slim lead early in the game after Normandin won the opening tip-off and put back a rebound for the game’s first points. Moments later he came up with a steal and dished the ball to Mark Alexander for the 4-0 lead. The two teams exchanged leads until ten minutes into the half Ochoa hit a three to put Clark on top 19-18. The lead was short lived, however, as precision shots from MIT’s Jimmy Bartolotta, who was five of six from three point range en route to a game-high 33 points, Billy Johnson, and Will Mroz put the Engineers back on top where they would stay for the rest of the half.

With the Cougars down 39-30 with just over three and a half to play in the period, MIT’s Hamidou Soumare, who had already dunked the ball earlier in the half, broke down the floor after a Clark turnover and went for his second dunk of the night. This time he failed and the ball bounced off the rim and back onto the floor—a scene which would be repeated later in the second half. The home crowd erupted in mock cheers and the Cougars seemed to take the failed attempt personally. MIT inbounded the ball and a pressing Lopiano positioned himself to take the charge and draw the foul. The play sparked a 9-4 Clark run to close out the second half and go to the dressing room with the score 43-39 in favor of the visiting team.

At the start of the second half the Engineers again stretched their lead to nine on a free throw by Soumare, but he Cougars battled back to tie the game at 56-56 with 12:30 left in the game after Normandin hit one of his two three-point buckets of the night. Things got hairy less than a minute later when Alexander broke down the court with two MIT. players giving chase. It at first appeared that Alexander was fouled, but the referees made a controversial no-call in the close game. Coach Phillips argued on behalf of Alexander and was given a technical foul. The Engineers were able to sink one of the free shots bringing the score to 56-58 in favor of MIT.

Clark kept pace with MIT in the waning moments of the game. Big shots from Ochoa, Normandin, Alexander, and Lyell kept the score to 72-77 at the two minute mark, but the Engineers were able to convert 70% of the free throws in the second half to widen the gap. Clark players hit 75% percent of their turns at the foul line but had only about half the opportunities that the Engineers had.

A scary moment silenced the court and bleachers when MIT’s Bartolotta was undercut by and fell hard onto Clark’s Lopiano. Lopiano stayed down and was helped off the court by his team mates and the training staff with 54.8 seconds left in the half and the score at 82-75 for MIT.

Clark brought the score to 80-85 with 35.8 seconds left but could not make up the difference. The game ended with the final score 80-87 MIT.