For the past two seasons, the women's basketball team has finished second in the Ivy League, thanks in large part to its stingy defense and tenacious rebounding. The game plan is the same this year for Head Coach Jean Marie Burr, who in her 17th year has the Bears looking to return the league title to Providence for the first time since the 1993-1994 season.
Having already played three out of their seven Ivy opponents, the Bears have proved that they are legitimate contenders for the Ivy crown. The team has two strong candidates for Player of the Year in center Holly Robertson '05 and co-captain Sarah Hayes '06. Through Jan. 24, Robertson was second in the league in scoring at 15.5, while Hayes was fourth at 14.1. Not far behind is sharpshooter Colleen Kelly '06, who was sixth with 12.7 points per game.
Robertson is also adept on the glass, leading the Ivies in rebounding with 9.2 per contest, while Hayes, arguably the best rebounding guard in the league, is seventh with 5.7.
"She has an exceptional eye to move quickly into rebounding position," said Burr of Hayes. "She is one of the most determined rebounders I've coached. What you see at her best is what you see everyday."
In addition to being a tenacious rebounder, Hayes also has very quick hands. She is very good at picking off errant passes and taking them the length of the court for layups, as her league-leading 3.07 steals per game demonstrates.
Hayes serves as the first line of defense, but Robertson is the anchor. She is second in the league in blocks at 2.07 per game. That statistic would surely be larger if opponents did not routinely go out of their way to avoid her.
While the Bears have gotten exceptional play from their stars, what really holds the team together is its other contributors who may not score a lot, but always come up with big plays when they matter most.
One such player is Ashley King-Bischof '07, who always provides a spark off the bench for Brown. King-Bischof is adept at grabbing crucial rebounds and can always be counted on to do a little bit of everything.
Brown also gets significant defensive contributions from Lena McAfee '07 and co-captain Andrea Conrad '05. McAfee is a defensive stopper, whose quickness makes her very good at getting out in front on the fast break. Conrad, meanwhile, is playing in her first injury-free season at Brown and has performed very well. She usually draws tough assignments in the post and helped contain Meagan Cowher, Princeton's highly touted freshman, on Friday.
Conrad also has been crucial for the Bears on offense, making the winning free throw in the team's 63-62 win over Princeton and hitting two three-pointers the following night to keep the Bears in the game during the early part of their 47-43 loss to Penn.
With five weeks left in the Ivy season, the Bears have indicated that, while they like where they stand defensively, they need the same team mentality on the other end of the court.
"I'd like to see more consistency in our halfcourt offense," Burr said. "I would like to see more assists, more people creating for others."
A lack of offensive cohesion was evident in the loss to Penn last Saturday. The Bears had trouble getting open shots and seemed to lack the physicality on the offensive boards that is their staple. Despite the loss, the Bears still are in good shape at 3-1 and third place in the Ivy League. Next weekend, they will face 2-2 Columbia and 0-4 Cornell before taking to the road for a two-week stretch against Harvard and Dartmouth the first week, and then Princeton and Penn the next. Those road trips will ultimately determine the league, as Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth are all very strong contenders.
Despite the setback on Saturday, Hayes said she feels like the Bears are primed to make a run for the top spot.
"I feel like this was just one little bump in the road," Hayes said. "We just have to come out every night and bring our 'A' game. We just have to be ready. When it comes to round-robin play anything can happen."
