As the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, people all over the world made resolutions for 2010. The women’s basketball team made a resolution of its own: win every game.

Unbeaten in their last nine contests, the Bombers now sit on top of the Empire 8 Conference with a 14–4 overall record and a 9–0 record in conference play, while defeating the likes of Stevens Institute of Technology, Utica College and St. John Fisher College over the break. Junior forward Elissa Klie said beating those teams will only make Ithaca better.

“They are pretty good teams with pretty good players,” she said. “Beating all of them, and St. John Fisher for a second time, has been huge for us as individuals and the program itself.”

Winter recess always presents its challenges, though, and each season the team deals with those difficulties in a different way. In addition to going to the movies and eating team dinners, the athletes attended a Syracuse University women’s basketball game to see a top Division I team in action.

But what made the women happiest was having one hard practice a day instead of double sessions.

“Double sessions can be so strenuous mentally and physically,” senior Lindsay Brown said. “It’s easy to get burnt out, especially when we are here for a month all by ourselves.”

The one-practice technique has obviously helped, as the Bombers have put at least 60 points on the board during this streak. That kind of output has been key to the team’s success.

“We seem to be pretty consistent right now,” junior Jordan Confessore said. “If we stay consistent, we will do really well.”

As always, though, playing at home aids in that steady play. This season the Blue and Gold faced the challenge of having a home-court advantage without the support of the entire student body. With five home games over the break, Klie said a change of scenery would have helped.

“It would’ve been nice to travel and break up the time at home,” she said. “We all got to see our families a lot more, though, which was good.”

With school back in session and classes starting up, another transition awaits, as the mental strain of hitting both the hardwood and the books is here to stay. Klie said the change helps the players.

“It’s always good that we will have other stuff besides basketball,” she said “It will be somewhat of a mental break.”

That break will be vital, as the team is going on the road for three more conference games in the

final stretch of the season. Though home-court advantage is a plus, the Bombers have found success on the road this season.

“A few games we’ve been on the road, we’ve been winning by a lot, so no matter where we play, we’ve been playing consistently,” Confessore said.

With only two losses on the road this entire season, the team is proving that it can play in any atmosphere.

“Obviously, it’s more comfortable to play at home with our rims,” Brown said. “But it’s the same game wherever we play.”

 

Box Score - St. John Fisher vs Ithaca - 01/22/10 6 p.m. at Ben Light Gymnasium; Ithaca, N.Y