SUNY Sullivan Lady Generals roll on

By Adelaide Robbins | Manor ink

Loch Sheldrake, NY – The SUNY Sullivan Generals’ women’s team, riding a six-game winning streak, faced the Monroe Mustangs on Feb. 21 in front of a small home crowd at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse, but both teams were fired up and ready to play some basketball.

The game started slowly with both teams playing good defense and somewhat sloppy offense, so the first quarter was a low-scoring affair with the Generals falling behind 16-7. In the second quarter, the game started to pick up as both teams began playing better, with the Generals able to cut the deficit to 23-17 at the half.

Then, in the third quarter, it was like someone flipped a switch and the Generals came out surging. They went on a 14-0 run during the first 6:17 minutes of the quarter, led by Brienna Maple and Brianna Jackson. Jackson was on a heater during the later parts of the game, as the Generals ended the quarter up 36-28. And the Generals continued to roll in the fourth quarter, taking the game by storm and winning 58-41. Maple led all scorers with 22 points in an impressive outing, while Jackson netted all of her 14 points in the second half. The win brought the Lady Generals’ record to an outstanding 23-4.

After the game, Coach Ben Newberg commented,“We started out a little sluggish, which is to be expected after playing only yesterday. Offensively, we struggled, but our defense kept us close in the first half. In the locker room, we spoke about how to attack their changing defenses. I think our team did a great job on both sides of the ball in the third-quarter and changed the tempo of the game.”

Newberg said he was pleased to see his squad hold “a talented D1 team to 41 points in a contest, which is very hard to do,” adding that he was very proud of his team’s effort. He noted that although Shonyae Edmonds had one of her lowest point totals of the year, she was instrumental in the team’s press and rebounding of the ball.

February has been a stellar month for the squad, holding their opponents to an average of only 40 points per game and winning all seven contests in the month.

“You always want to play your best basketball at the end of the year – that feels like we’re in the right place at the right time”, said Newberg, adding, “I’m excited for the post-season, and I know our players are as well.”