The Vale women's basketball team bear, or more properly, slaughtered, the Radcliffe basketball team on Saturday 59-36, in Cambridge.
The Cliffe opened the game with a tight zone defense that forced the Elis 10 chance the outside shot. It turned out not to be too much chance, however, as Radcliffe could not nab the rebounds from the errant shots and the Yalies put the ball up for easy hoops. Yale took an early lead and did not relinquish it throughout the entire game.
Defensive Change
The Bulldogs raced to a 27-16 halftime lead, forcing Radcliffe coach John McCarthy to adopt a different defensive strategy Radcliffe countered with a man-to-man defense in the second half and while the pressing defense produced turnovers, the Crimson could not convert them into points.
Junior guard Lissa Muscatine was the standout of the game for Radcliffe, Frequently she was the only person downcourt in time to break up the Yale last break, and all game long she found the defensive touch to stuff Bulldog shots without drawing a foul.
Scoring Acv
Star sophomore forward Suc Williams was the only Crimson player to score in double digits. Despite a tenacious Yale defense, Williams connected time after time on long shots, some of which seemed to come from Harvard Square.
The keys to the game appeared to be the lack of the usually balanced Radcliffe scoring punch, the breakdown of Radcliffe's defense against Yale's last break, and the team's failure to control the back-boards.
Second in a Row
The loss to Yale was the second in a row for the Radcliffe hoopsters Last week, the dropped a game to Stonchill, 43,33, collapsing in the last ten minutes of the contest. The losses have come in sharp contrast to Radcliffe's to 24 victory over Wellesley last week ends.
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