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.

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.

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.

Women’s Basketball Take 3-0 Start on the Road

By Bill Cobb

WORCESTER, MASS. – The Clark University women’s basketball team got off to a successful start to its season on November 16 with a 69-46 drubbing of Worcester State College in the opening round of the Worcester City Tip-Off Tournament hosted at the Kneller Athletic Center. The tournament, held at Clark’s home court for the first time since 2003, pitted cross-town rivals Clark, Worcester State, Nichols College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute against each other in a four-game, two-round series.

Team captain Sarah Roderigue put up 22 points on 9-11 shooting in the opening match to guide the Cougars to the win. The Clark squad took an early lead with an 18-0 run keyed by back-to-back baskets from Katelyn Petty and Kristin Healy to gain a 26-9 advantage. Clark’s balanced offense lead to a 46-25 lead at halftime. The team’s strong rebounding provided Clark with a 49-29 edge on the boards, and a staunch defensive performance limited Worcester State to only two buckets from behind the arc in the entire match to preserve the Cougar lead.

The second game of the night featured Nichols versus WPI with the winner advancing to face Clark in the Tip-Off Title game the following day. WPI squeaked past Nichols with a 55-52 win to advance to the championship round.

In the championship round of the tournament Roderigue again went over the 20-point mark to earn Most Valuable Player honors as the Cougars captured their 18^th Tip-Off Tournament title and 11^th crown in 12 years with a 57-47 victory over WPI. Though Clark stormed ahead in the first half with 13 unanswered points on the way to a 32-23 half-time advantage, WPI battled back to a 36-all tie early in the second period. Clark slowly pulled ahead again, however, and a clutch lay-up from Roderigue with four minutes remaining gave the Cougars a 50-42 lead to all but seal the deal.

The Tip-Off Tournament title provides Clark not only with a strong start to its season, but plenty of hope for the remainder of the year as well. “When you win the Tip-Off to start the season it gives you great momentum in the first part of the season,” states head coach Pat Glispin. “Losing the tournament last year we had no momentum going into the season and we didn’t get it till late January."

Jillian Camilleri echoed her coach’s thoughts. “Winning the Tip-Off Tourney was important to us, it will give us the confidence we need for the rest of our season,” Camilleri said. The sophomore forward lived up to her statement with a career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday, November 20. The 79-68 victory featured a recurring trend in the start of the Cougars’ season: efficient rebounding and tough defense. The Clark defense held JWU to 32.4% shooting from the floor and 25% from three-point range.

“We won the first three games because the team stayed together throughout it all and played defense,” affirms Camilleri. “Those are the things we are trying to concentrate on this season. We have a lot of talent on our team and we are learning how to stay together and win games through our defense.”

With the win over Johnson & Wales, Clark starts 3-0 for the first time since 2005 when the Cougars won eight straight en route to a 17-9 overall record. The next challenge for this team, starting with the game Tuesday night, is facing the next two opponents away from the home court, but the team remains optimistic as they head out on the road.

“Starting the season 3-0 definitely contributes to our confidence in knowing we are able to perform together to get these wins,” says Petty, a senior forward. “Right now we are just looking to focus on one game at a time, even though they are away we hope to bring the same level of intensity that we have shown so far at home.”

Junior point guard and tri-captain Sara Hagstrom agrees that the 3-0 start provides a valuable confidence-boost to the team. “This start helped us to realize we can close out tough games, which hopefully will stay with us for the rest of the season and never let us question our ability to win,” says Hagstrom. “As we head off onto the road games, we just need to keep executing our plays and frustrating the other team on defense to push through.”

After facing Connecticut College on Tuesday, the Cougars will travel to Salem State College on Saturday. When the Cougars last faced Salem State in 2006, they squared off against the 19^th ranked team in the nation in a 49-62 loss at home. Salem State returns three starters from last year’s squad.