WASHINGTON- With 13 wins under their belt, The Catholic University of America women's basketball team continues to strive for success as they enter the latter half of their 2014-15 Landmark Conference portion of the season. Currently 7-2 in conference play, the team focuses on what can be improved, while also reflecting on aspects of their game that have brought them into the second seed in the league.
The Cardinals reeled in their first conference win against Moravian on Friday, Dec. 6, defeating the Greyhounds 75-69 in Washington, D.C. With a 5-4 overall record, the team hosted the Jamie Lynn Roberts-Fairfield Inn Holiday Tournament. In a close 68-64 win over Washington & Lee, the Cardinals moved on to the tournament final against Mary Washington. They emerged victorious, taking a 53-48 win over the Eagles and becoming the winners of the inaugural Jamie Lynn Roberts-Fairfield Inn Holiday Tournament.
Catholic's two tournament wins ignited the team's seven-game winning streak, just in time for conference play. The Cardinals battled hard for their close 57-52 win against the Gophers of Goucher, as well as in their 46-42 victory at home against the No. 7 Scranton Royals. With an impressive 12-4 record, the team travelled to Huntingdon, Pa., to face Juniata. Catholic fell to the Eagles 77-76, ending their winning streak and sending them back to Washington, D.C., with room for improvement.
"Instead of being down on ourselves, we looked at it as a way to improve and look at where our mistakes were," said junior captain, Josephine Migash (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Trinity). "I think that as the season has gone on, we've learned a lot and we've become an even stronger team."
The Cardinals did not stay down for long. Three days later, the team defeated Merchant Marine 71-34 on the road to bring home a 13-5 standing record.
"Our thought process is when you suffer a loss on the court, that doesn't have to be a terrible thing," said head women's basketball coach Matt Donohue. "It could be a great thing if you allow it to be. I think whether it's a win or a loss, we've really taken the approach as a coaching staff to talk with our student-athletes about what we need to do better."
Junior captains Jayni Webster (Bryn Mawr, Pa. / Country Day Sacred Heart), Kristen Walheim (Malvern, Pa. / Villa Maria Academy), and Migash continue to lead the team on and off the court. Webster holds the frontrunning free throw percentage of .789, making 30 out of 38 at the line. She went seven for eight in the team's home matchup against Moravian. One of the team's strongest shooters, Webster also reeled in 17 points for the Cardinals earlier in the season against FDU-Florham and 15 points against St. Mary's (Md.).
Walheim has dominated under the basket, nabbing 42 offensive and 71 defensive rebounds for a total of 113 on the season. Seeing time in all 18 games thus far, Walheim averages 6.3 rebounds per game. She brought down her highest of 10 rebounds against both FDU-Florham and Merchant Marine.
Tied with Walheim for the most rebounds is Migash, who earned her 113 boards through 53 offensive and 60 defensive rebounds. The starting forward brought down 11 balls against Washington & Lee during the holiday tournament, and recorded 10 rebounds against Merchant Marine and Drew in the heat of conference play. Migash is also one of the top scorers for the Cardinals, totaling 170 points so far this season. She recorded 16 points at Drew on Jan. 10, and totaled 30 points throughout the team's holiday tournament play.
"We have a variety of personnel on our team, and I think the three captains have been trying to recognize the differences and motivate each person in the best way possible for them," said Migash. "I think the biggest thing that the captains have been doing is just staying positive and having fun with each other."
The three captains hold the support of the CUA women's basketball coaching staff, as they have grown significantly over their three years with the program.
"They all have really come into their own as leaders," said Donohue. "As they've grown as leaders, found their voice, and found their leadership style, we've kind of grown incrementally as a team as a result."
Following in the example of their captains, are several student-athletes who have stepped up as crucial contributors to the team's success. Sophomore starting point guard Michelle DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn. / Lauralton Hall) leads the team with 257 points for an average 14.3 points per game. Starting all 18 games, DeSantis has dished out 66 assists and 34 steals. She leads the team with 27 three-pointers made, as well as 95 jumpers. DeSantis recorded 22 points against Gwynedd Mercy on Monday, Dec. 15 and against Elizabethtown on Tuesday, Jan. 6. She recorded her season high of the year with eight assists at home against Merchant Marine, while also going 3-4 from behind the arc.
Sophomore starting guard Bridget Power (Newtown, Conn. / Newtown) leads the team in defensive rebounds, recording 82 on the season. Her best defensive game came against Gwynedd Mercy on Dec. 15, where she brought down eight rebounds. Another top scorer for the Cardinals, Power has recorded 110 points so far this year. Averaging 6.1 points per game, Powers' highest scoring games came against Elizabethtown and Drew where she totaled 10 points.
Sophomore Melissa Errico (Harrington Park, N.J. / Old Tappan) has made herself defensively known on the court with 96 total rebounds. She brought down her season high against Mary Washington in the holiday tournament final, rebounding 12 balls. Errico leads the team with 17 blocks on the season, four of which came against Bridgewater (Va.) earlier in the year.
Catholic welcomed eight freshmen to the 2014-15 squad, many of which have seen playing time this year as the Cardinals continued their winning streak.
"The biggest thing for our freshmen has been learning the speed of the game," said Donohue. "What they're learning is that in coming to college the game is faster, quicker, and stronger, so there is an evolution process to be able to handle that level of play."
One freshman in particular who has stood out from the rest is guard Payton Smith (Spring Lake Heights, N.J. / St. Rose High School). In her first season with the team, she has played in all 18 games and made four starts. Smith has recorded 88 points, averaging 4.9 points per game. Her breakout game came early in the season with a career-high 16 points against Moravian.
"Payton has certainly grown a lot this year, from the beginning until now," said Donohue. "Her growth has been learning to be more aggressive on offense and really trusting herself on defense."
The Cardinals will close out their regular season with four home games and three road games against some of their toughest conference rivals.
"We've got a lot of great teams left on our schedule," said Donohue. "The reality is, we've got a very tough run here over the next seven games. We'd like to be playing post-season basketball and competing for a championship, and to do that we need to continue to grow, stay focused, not get complacent, and we've got to play better in certain facets."
CUA welcomes the Crusaders of Susquehanna to the DuFour Athletic Center in Washington, D.C., tonight. Susquehanna was the first Landmark opponent the Cardinals faced this season, which resulted in a 67-59 loss in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Written by Colleen Loftus, CUA Class of 2016, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
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