The Elizabethtown College men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off their seasons last week on Saturday, Nov. 11. It was the second game for the men’s team, as on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the men’s team took down Cabrini University for their first of the season. On Saturday, they welcomed Stevenson University to Etown for a game they’d lose 91-78. For the women’s team, it was their first game of the season on Saturday against Dickinson College. It was a back-and-forth matchup, but the Blue Jays came out on top 64-56.
The men’s team opened Saturday’s slate at 2 p.m. Sophomore guard Austin Finarelli was the hot hand for the Jays. He dropped 20 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and 4/6 from three-point range. Junior guard Rance Russo was the team’s second-leading scorer with 14 points, earning his points at the free throw line. Senior forward Dylan Rowe also had an efficient day with an 11-point performance that included a perfect field goal percentage. Two other Blue Jays found their way into double figures with junior guard Alon Gorham providing 11 points off the bench and sophomore guard Ben Stanton with 10 points.
While they lost, Etown kept it close early. It looked to be a strong first half for the Jays, going up by as many as 13 points with a little over five minutes to play in the first half. However, Stevenson slowly but surely cut into Etown’s lead. With less than 20 seconds to go, they’d knot it up to 41. Gorham’s last effort at the buzzer was no good, and the teams headed into the half all square.
Unfortunately, Stevenson would use the momentum they found at the end of the first half to catapult them out in front in the second. The Blue Jays did their best to keep it within striking distance, but the deficit proved to be too much, losing the home opener 91-78.
It was a successful season opener for the women’s team. Preseason All-American junior guard Summer McNulty led the way in scoring with 18 points and five assists, going 6-6 from the charity stripe. Sophomore and senior guards Makenna Mummert and Cyleigh Wilson went shot-for-shot with each other, both supplying 14 points for the team and shooting 50 percent from the field. Junior forwards DaniRae Renno and Jessica King also provided crucial efforts, attacking the boards for 10 and eight rebounds respectively.
The Blue Jays had the edge early on, going into the second quarter up two, but the offense sputtered in the second. Dickinson stole the lead early in the second quarter and went up seven with five minutes to go. The Blue Jays stayed focused though, as they headed into the locker room only down two.
The second half is where Etown took off, and it was an especially strong effort in the third quarter. McNulty found her rhythm as soon as the quarter started, scoring eight of the Blue Jays’ first 10 second-half points. It seemed to be smooth sailing from that point on for the home team, holding a two-possession lead since the five-minute mark of the third. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Etown was celebrating an eight-point victory.
With the season and home openers out of the way, Etown’s basketball teams are ready to attack another season. This upcoming weekend, the men’s team will be back home for a bout with King’s College on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. The women’s team will be back at it on Friday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. where they’ll travel to Newport, Va. for the Christopher Newport University Tournament. The team will have a matchup with East Texas Baptist University that Friday and will face Christopher Newport on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.
