Women’s Basketball Team Aims to Return to Winning Ways

By Thomas Gillen
co-Editor-in-Chief

Halfway through its 2016-17 season, the women’s basketball team stands at 6-7 with seven games remaining at home. Despite the record, the Pioneers are 3-1 in the conference. Head coach Deirdre Moore is not deterred, stating that the team is “a joy to coach. Every player has a great attitude and the whole team plays as a cohesive unit. They truly exemplify what it means to be a team.”

Moore stated that she wants to see them continue to improve every day and would ultimately like to return to the East Coast Conference Championship. The Pioneers last played in the championship during the 2014-15 season but lost to New York Institute of Technology, 76-71, in the first game. This year’s team is “almost like a whole new team,” Moore said. “This year we have five freshmen and two transfers who have made all of our players better,” she added.

One of the new additions to the team is freshmen health science major Mikaiya Moore. Moore is the Pioneers’ leading scorer with 175 points through 12 games. Moore also leads the team with 40 free throws, 48 defensive rebounds, 17 blocks, and scores an average of 14.6 points a game. “The most important thing I’ve learned so far is that everything you do in the game matters,” Moore said about her first season playing college basketball.

Moore played varsity high school basketball at Copaigue High School, where she was named 2016 League III Player of the Year, scoring 1,500 points over her career. During her first semester at Post, Moore has managed to improve her defensive skills and post moves. She’s also learned how important it is to keep moving on the court due to the fast nature of the game.

Senior broadcasting major Kylie Garrett is also having a good season, with 124 points so far.

After beating Stonehill College 82-70 on Saturday, December 31, the Pioneers will play their next five games against teams in their own conference, including Queens College, Molloy College, and the University of Bridgeport. “I’m always looking forward to the next game,” Moore said. “The game against Roberts Wesleyan College will be a good measuring stick for our team because we play in the same conference.”

The team’s next game is on Wednesday, Jan. 4 against the University of the District of Columbia in Washington D.C. at 7 p.m. The team returns to campus on Saturday, Jan. 7 to play Roberts Wesleyan College at 1:30 p.m. at the Pratt Recreation Center.