2008 Woodie Awards
Women's Hoops Readies For A Repeat
Friedman, Alex
Issue date: 11/19/04 Section: Sports
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Last year, Colgate women's basketball shocked the school and the Patriot League by overcoming 12 straight losing seasons to win the league championship and earn its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
This year, an entirely new coaching staff is at the helm, led by head coach Kristin Hughes. Expectations are still high - with the team returning four starters, the only surprise will be if the defending champions fail to turn in another dramatic and exciting season. Hughes has set the bar extremely high and has demanded the most from her players during preseason workouts.
"Our goal is to accomplish everything the team did last year and then some," she declared. "Advance to the NCAA Tournament, and get to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight."
Colgate was picked to finish a close second in the Patriot League's preseason poll and enters the season led by one of the league's preseason co-Players of the Year - senior co-captain Emily Braseth.
Braseth, an athletic, high-energy forward, led the Raiders in scoring in each of the last two seasons. She placed third in the league with 18 points per game during league play last year, and will be relied upon to carry the offense once again during her senior season. An extremely versatile player, Braseth also anchors the Raiders' defense, as she is often used to hound the opponent's point guard.
Joining Braseth as co-captain is rock-solid senior center Leandra Fuller. At 6'2", Fuller ranked fourth in the league in blocked shots last season, and also contributed 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Whereas Braseth leads the team vocally and emotionally, Fuller is a stabilizing force who leads her teammates by example.
Senior Milaina Lagzdins, who dominated the glass in last season's Patriot League tournament and earned all-Tournament team honors, gives Colgate even more size up front. The Raider coaching staff will have the option of going big and playing all three seniors together, or starting a three-guard lineup and bringing in Lagzdins off the bench.
Behind the veteran trio of Braseth, Fuller and Lagzdins, junior Devon Warwick and sophomore Carly Brescacin will battle for minutes off the bench. Sophomore Jessica McQuoid and first-year Caitlin Gillard add even more depth to a very strong Colgate front-line.
The Raiders also have a great deal of depth and talent at the guard positions, despite the loss of last year's senior co-captains, Malissa Burke and Emily Damuth. At shooting guard, Colgate welcomes back senior Allison Lipinski, who missed most of the last two seasons due to plantar fasciitis and personal reasons. Lipinski will look to regain the form she displayed during the 2001-2002 season, when as a first-year she drained a school-record 101 three-pointers and led the Raiders in scoring with 15.8 points per game.