Kleinfelder said last week, "I've asked Caryn to drive for four years, but..." and the coach shrugged her shoulders.

Curry contends she "just plays her game," and as her statistics testify, it's a damn good game. But she must do even more this season.

Now, try to erase the bungles and mishaps. Forget the 25-ft. air balls, the needless fouls, the swiss cheese defenses. Ah, the Springfield game.

Holpuch and Smith combined for 39 points. Wendy Carle, the other senior co-captain, displayed the best single defensive effort of the year by stifling the Chiefs' star, Randi Zola, in the second half. Best of all, a guard combination, Boutillier and Hall, played with confidence and flair, tearing the Springfield press to shreds.

Hall's speed to the basket led Kleinfelder to boast after the game, "Frenesa can drive on anybody...anybody." Against a man-to-man defense, she probably can.

Boutillier is the careful playmaker. Unfazed by tight Springfield coverage, she repeatedly slipped away and passed underneath for easy chippies. Oh yes--and Nancy Boutillier hits foul shots, 4-4.

The cagers will still be on duty next week, when most of us head for the ski slopes. They may not beat tough out-of-league opponents Manhattanville and Providence on the road, but they will be playing with a new authority.

This team can win. And now they know it.