The Point Park Women’s Basketball team continued their homestand, coming off of two wins to kick off the new year. The team had their first two games of the new year against the Bryant and Stratton-Buffalo Bobcats and the Alice Lloyd College Eagles.

On Thursday, Jan. 20 and Saturday, Jan. 22, the Pioneers continued their season, facing the Indiana University Kokomo Cougars (IU Kokomo) and the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College Pomeroys (SMWC).

Point Park played IU Kokomo at home at the Dome at CCBC. The Pioneers entered the game, winning two games in a row, along with a 9-5 record and a 3-3 Rivers States Conference (RSC) record.

The Cougars came into the game with a 5-10 record, along with a 2-6 RSC conference record. IU Kokomo’s last game was against the Indiana University East Red Wolves, where they lost by a score of 63-60.

The Pioneers started the game with a quick three-pointer by senior Michelle Burns assisted by junior Lexi Petit. Despite the early basket,
the Pioneers would go scoreless for the next 8 minutes, while the Cougars scored 15 unanswered. Point Park scored some points at the tail end of the first, but would trail IU Kokomo 20-8 at the end of one quarter.

The Pioneers’ struggles would continue heading into the second quarter. The Cougars shot 59% from the field in the second half and would keep the Pioneers to just 14 points. IU Kokomo led at halftime by the score of 43-22.

In the third quarter, Point Park stepped up their defense and began to shoot the ball more efficiently. A layup by junior Jordan Yaniga, followed by a layup by Burns, sparked the Pioneers’ offense.

Point Park shot 50% from the field and held the Cougars to just 10 points in the third. Junior Taylor Rinn scored 8 points in the quarter, which helped the offense. By the end of the third, Point Park trimmed the lead, 53-41.

In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers’ shots beyond the arc began to fall. The Pioneers would make 5 threes during the waning moments of the game in an attempt to come back and win. Nevertheless, the team was running out of time.

With a little over two minutes to go, the Pioneers cut the lead to under 10 points for the first time since the first quarter. After a three-pointer by sophomore Natalia Fontanez-Waid, the Pioneers were down by just 5 with 1:09 left on the clock. However, this would be their last bucket of the game and IU Kokomo would score two more points winning by the score of 69-62.

Point Park’s early struggles proved to be costly. Nevertheless, the team worked their way back into the game. In the second half, Point Park locked up the Cougars’ offense. The Pioneers also forced an impressive 19 turnovers throughout the game. Yaniga said she believed that their effort to battle back spoke volumes and that their hustle and rebounding kept them in the game.

“We are one of the number one teams leading in rebounds, and I think that that shows a lot,” said Yaniga. “Our team isn’t made up of the most skilled. Not every single person has the biggest skill set, but everyone on our team that steps onto any floor, whether it’s practice or the game, we can definitely outhustle people.”

Yaniga, who usually starts, came off the bench and led the bench in scoring and offensive rebounds.

Rinn said she also noticed the team’s intense hustle and persistent effort to chip away at the lead while trailing.

“It shows that we never give up,” said Rinn. “We are always one of the teams that shows effort on the court. Whether we are winning or losing, we never give up.”

Despite the home loss, Point Park looks forward to getting redemption heading into their next home game.

The Pioneers’ next home game would be against the SMWC Pomeroys, which was also at home. The Pomeroys entered the game with a 10-4 record, along with a 4-3 RSC conference record.

The first quarter would be a competitive quarter. Both teams started the game off slow, and there would be six lead changes in the first quarter in play.

At the tail end of the first, Point Park knocked down the majority of their shots and would lead by the score of 18-15. The Pioneers shot 47% in the first quarter and drilled their first 2 out of 2 three-point attempts.

In the second quarter, the Pioneers and Pomeroys went back and forth in exchanging leads. SMWC and Point Park were knotted up at 27, but after a 3-pointer by Burns, the Pioneers would find their rhythm.

The Pioneers continued their success throughout the third, holding SMWC to only 12 points in the quarter. At the end of the half, the Pioneers led, 32-27.

The Pioneers controlled the pace of play in the third, and their defense helped extend their lead to as much as ten. Despite holding the Pomeroys to only 12 points in the third, the Pioneers would only score 15 points in the quarter. However, this was enough for them to maintain their lead, leading by a score of 47-39.

In the fourth quarter, the game would change. What was a defensive game for both teams would turn into a shootout in the fourth quarter. Both teams exchanged bucket after bucket in the fourth.

The Pomeroys began to knock down their shots, but they continued to trail the red hot Pioneers. Point Park shot an astounding 84% in the fourth quarter. The team scored 30 points in the fourth and would finish the game off strong, winning 77-64.

The Pioneers shot 88% from the charity stripe and 46% from the field. This offensive performance walloped the Pomeroy defense and was enough to give them a key double-digit win.

The team was led by Burns who scored 25 points on just 14 shots and Rinn who scored 17 points and collected 10 rebounds. Seven of those rebounds were offensive rebounds.

Point Park’s next game comes against the Brescia University Bearcats on the road, which is a makeup game from January 6.

Their home win comes right before a three-game road trip against RSC opponents. Rinn said she believes that this win gives them momentum heading into the road stand.

“It was super important that we won that game not just because it was a home game, but since it will help us secure our run for a playoff spot,” said Rinn. “After the tough loss to IU Kokomo on Thursday, it was nice to get a win, especially one where a lot of girls from the bench helped us pull it out. We look forward to hopefully keeping that momentum going for the game on Monday and bringing home the win.”