PREVIEW: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COULD TAKE CHARGE IN CURRY GAME

WESTON, Mass.—Having dropped its first two conference games of the season, Regis College women’s basketball will look to bring down Curry College (8-2, 0-1 TCCC) when it hosts the Colonels Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Regis College (6-7, 0-2 TCCC) lost just two conference games all of last season, neither of which were to Curry. The Pride took a 10-point (84-74) victory over Curry on the road in 2009-10. Stephanie Crawford, one of the top scorers in that game, returns for the Pride in 2011 and is averaging 14.2 points per game for Regis.

Last year against Curry she tied with three players for a team-high 13 points. In the Pride’s two The Commonwealth Coast Conference games this season she is averaging 18.0 PPG, and had her second highest points in a game (24) of the season against Salve Regina.

Clearly a veteran leader, Crawford must position her teammates on the floor to take advantage of the Curry defense. Co-captain Sarah McNult is averaging double figures in rebounds per game (12.5), and ranks within the conference and nationally in the top 10 of the same category. In 13 games McNult scored double figures in points nine times, and had a double-double in eight of those games. McNult’s talents are no secret within the conference, but even with the cat out of the bag she still performs on a consistent basis.

Freshman Claire Ramonas has stepped up us a talented role player for Regis, and her 9.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG rank her second in both categories for the Pride. As the complement to McNult, Ramonas is capable of using her athleticism when guarded by smaller players. She is also able to shoot from mid-range, hitting better than 45 percent from the field, and also capable of taking points at the charity stripe.

Brittany White has been quiet at different points in the season, but her 26-point performance against John Jay lets you know she is well able to put on a scoring clinic. Scoring slightly better 9.0 points per game, White has the opportunity to put her talents to the test as conference play continues.

Of the two TCCC losses from last season, not including its championship loss to UNE, Regis has not faced Endicott and lost to Salve Regina Tuesday. With 12 conference games remaining in the season, Regis could run the table to finish as it did last season (11-2), but with tough opponents like Roger Williams, UNE, and Endicott still on the table, that possibility could be a tough one to come by.

Colonels on the Charge

The Colonels have had a fairly easy schedule through the first 10 games. Currently 0-2 in the TCCC having lost to 60-59 WNEC and 86-45 to UNE, Curry will surely be on its toes to bring down Regis College. The Colonels also lost to Suffolk in double overtime.

Averaging 67.2 points per game (+14.7) as a team, Curry is the third best team in TCCC play in scoring offense, and second in scoring defense (52.5). As a team Curry is shooting better than 74.7 percent from the free throw line, and has the third best shooting percentage from the field (.397).

In comparison, Regis College is sixth in scoring margin (+6.0), averaging 64.4 PPG, and ninth and eighth place in free throw (.644) and field goal percentage (.368), respectively.

Hailey Rafferty and Julia Scrubb are in the top 20 in scoring within the conference tallying 14.2 and 11.7 points per game respectively. Courtney Robinson is managing an average of 9.0 rebounds per game, a -4.0 difference compared to McNult.

Curry is talented, but surely a team that Regis College is capable of defeating. Similar to Regis, the Curry offense seems to be generated by two or three players.

In conclusion, if the Pride defense can contest shots, win the rebounding battle, and keep its scorers consistently scoring; Regis College should win this game outright. However, if Regis College doubts itself offensively and fails to execute the game plan, the Pride could move to 0-3 after Saturday.