| Freshmen on women’s basketball team coming of age BY MIKE UNGER
Photo by John Mulcahy
Freshman Sahar Nusseibeh scored a career-high 22 points in AU’s Jan. 28 win over Lafayette |
It’s been a trying season for the AU women’s basketball team, but through adversity character often is born. As the exhausted but jubilant Eagles walked off the court last week after a gutty one-point victory over Patriot League rival Lafayette, it was plain to see why the future holds so much promise for Coach Melissa McFerrin’s team. Trailing by as many as seven points late in the second half, AU refused to quit. With eight seconds left freshman Pam Stanfield’s shot passed through the hoop, and after AU’s defense tightened and forced a Lafayette player into a traveling violation, the Eagles had secured the victory while learning a lot about themselves in the process. “We were down a significant amount, and we found a way to win,” McFerrin said. “We competed when the game was on the line. There have been times where we haven’t gotten that critical stop because of a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of youth. It wasn’t pretty but we got it done.” Leading the way for AU was Sahar Nusseibeh, one of the team’s several freshmen who contributed points, rebounds, and quality minutes. Nusseibeh led AU with a career-high 22 points—on 10 of 13 shooting—and snagged 12 rebounds. It was Nusseibeh who got a hand on the ball, keeping it alive for her fellow rookie Stanfield’s game-winning shot. “I think we’re continuing to see [the young players] develop,” McFerrin said. “I don’t think there’s any question that they’re getting their feet under them and learning the importance of fundamentals and work habits. They’re still young and seeing opponents for the first time and getting a feel for the style of play. They’re learning to play a lot of minutes and play those minutes well.” Nusseibeh logged a team-high 36 minutes against Lafayette. The 6-foot-2-inch frontcourt player from Uniontown, Ohio, has developed into one of the team’s most consistent shooters. “She’s really shown some ability,” McFerrin said. “Sahar has shown that she’s going to be able to score in this league. She has good hands and a pretty good touch around the basket. On a team that’s challenged a bit in terms of field goal percentage, Sahar seems to be our most reliable player inside. The most significant improvement she’s made in the last three or four games, she’s now really pursuing the basketball in terms of her role as a rebounder.” Saturday, Nusseibeh and the Eagles continued their solid play. Led by a career high 30 points from Tala Hadavi and with Nusseibeh’s 18 points, AU won its second straight game, 75-68 over Lehigh. “Last week we talked about what our goal and our vision is for this program,” McFerrin said. “Even though we’re not getting the wins, we want to have an understanding that this is part of a much larger process. We have got to remember that each day our effort gives us an opportunity to move closer to our goal. It’s been a juggling act of sorts to allow them to continue to feel good about themselves, but largely I’ve been impressed at their ability to withstand a difficult season.” Patriot League hoops to be aired live on the Internet
The Patriot League and CSTV have partnered to provide the nine remaining basketball games, scheduled to be aired on the cable network this year, live on the Internet as well. The initial online broadcasts will be Sunday when AU takes on Colgate. Both the men’s and women’s games will be aired. CSTV and the Internet broadcasts are available by paid subscription of $14.95 per month. The AU men’s game against Navy Feb. 23 at Bender Arena also will be aired, as will the men’s and women’s tournament semifinal games and the women’s final. For a complete schedule of the games and more information, log on to www.cstv.com. |
