The women’s basketball team (10–2 overall, 2–0 Empire 8) signaled that 2012 could be another year of Empire 8 Conference dominance, as it blasted visitors St. John Fisher College (5–7 overall, 1–1 Empire 8) and Nazareth College (8–4 overall, 1–1 Empire 8) in its opening pair of conference games last weekend.
The Bombers began their Empire 8 slate Friday by posting the program’s largest margin of victory ever when they defeated St. John Fisher by a score of 82-50. The Blue and Gold led by as many as 26 points in the first half, as the defense forced Fisher to miss 15 of its first 17 shots of the game.
Sophomore guard Kathryn Campbell, the Bombers’ leading scorer so far this season, led the South Hill squad with 23 points and also contributed eight rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Jennifer Escobido collected a game-high nine rebounds, while junior forward Devin Shea and senior guard Jessica Farley had five assists each.
The Bombers’ newest addition, sophomore guard Mary Kate Tierney, tallied seven points and five rebounds in her debut. Tierney joined the team in between semesters.
The Blue and Gold continued their red-hot play right into Saturday’s contest against a Nazareth squad that was riding a five-game win streak. The Bombers improved to 6–1 at home this season with a 69-48 drubbing of the Golden Flyers.
The South Hill squad once again benefited from a fast start en route to posting its fifth win by 20 or more points this season. The Bombers held Nazareth scoreless for the first 7:40 of the game and jumped out to a commanding 16-1 lead. The Golden Flyers were never able to recover, as the Bombers led 39-16 at the halftime break and built their lead to as many as 30 points in the second half.
Campbell led the team in scoring with 18 points, while Shea dished out six assists and shared the team lead in rebounds with Escobido at eight apiece.
The Blue and Gold posted a season-high total of 55 rebounds in the contest. With these two victories, they improved to 33–1 in Empire 8 Conference games since the start of the 2009-10 season.
The South Hill squad will be tested this weekend with a pair of road games. First, they will square off against Hartwick College in a 6 p.m. matchup Friday, and then play the reigning Empire 8 champion Stevens Institute of Technology at 2 p.m. Saturday.
