The Mac Weekly

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Aaron Brown Ann Baltzer '10 setting a screen for Eartha Bell '10 this past Saturday against St. Olaf.

Coming off from two agonizing losses against St. Olaf and St. Benedict, the women's basketball team is down, but not out. With just three games remaining, the team is facing an uphill struggle to make the playoffs, but if we learned anything from the Colorado Rockies last year, the feat is far from impossible.

"We still have aspirations of making the playoffs," Eartha Bell '10 said.

Macalester is currently two games behind Hamline for the final playoff spot. If the Scots can win at least one of its next two games, coupled with Hamline losing both of its next two, the two teams would meet on the final day of the season to determine which of the two makes the playoffs. If both teams finish the season tied, there would be a tiebreaker.

"On any given day anything can happen," Maddy Emanuel '11 said.

The team was dealt a blow during Saturday's loss to St. Olaf when Danielle Johnson '10 tore her ACL in her right knee. Team captain Elise Pagel '09 tore her ACL before the season, leaving the team without two key players heading down the home stretch.

"We've faced adversity all season with a small team," Majra Mucic '11 said. Counting all the team members still able to play, she added, "And then there were ten."

The team is indeed small compared to other MIAC teams. Also, only four of the 12 players are returning; the rest are first years or transfers.

Bell hadn't been playing basketball for five years until she transferred to Macalester from Amherst. She's not only found a place in the heart on the lineup, but is leading the MIAC in steals.

With Pagel having missed the whole season, a lot of other players have had to step up.

"The leadership on the court has had to come from the sophomores," Ann Baltzer '10 said. "It's weird not to have an established team center."

The team is also depending on even younger leadership with Johnson out and Jessica Ramirez '11 playing as the starting point guard.

Even though Macalester is two games behind Hamline, they just as easily could be tied in the standings. Macalester held a commanding 14-point lead against St. Olaf on Saturday, only to see a 30-10 St. Olaf run hand them a 55-61 loss. The team was also within reach of first-place St. Benedict, trailing by only three at halftime, but weren't able to create enough momentum in the second half, losing the game 57-66.

Continued...

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