The Bison women’s basketball team triumphed in a tight contest against Army West Point on Jan. 28 to record its 17th win of the season. The game was a close and exciting one to watch, complete with five ties and six lead changes. It started out as a tight battle, with the first half ending in a home lead of 31-28 for the Orange and Blue, who were able to come out on top with a final score of 68-62 after pulling away in the final minutes of the contest.

The frontcourt players for the night were Kaitlyn Slagus ’19, Claire DeBoer ’17, and Sune Swart ’17, who together accounted for an impressive 56 points. Slagus was the top scorer at 22 points and a substantial 13 rebounds, earning her 10th double-double of the season. DeBoer also contributed a double-double in her strong performance with 15 points and 12 rebounds as well as four solid assists.

Swart finished with 19 points and three rebounds. She especially came through in the final quarter, where she tallied up the majority of her points. Her strong performance on both sides of the ball, including dominant post play and several well-timed blocks, helped the Bison to keep Army from gaining the lead.

Standout guards Kyi English ’19, Megan McGurk ’17, and Kate Walker ’19 did an exceptional job in staving off Army and recorded multiple crucial steals on the defensive end of the court. English and McGurk contributed four assists apiece, while Walker supplied two and was able to sneak in a 3-pointer as well.

Though Army’s full-court press seemed to stump the Bison at times, the guards stepped up to break through the pressure, allowing the team to run its offensive sets. English especially stood out with her ball-handling skills in the closing minutes of the game.

When the Orange and Blue began to pull away late in the fourth quarter, the stress seemed to be getting to the Black Knights. As the clock was running low, they committed some costly fouls, giving away any chance they had of catching the Bison. Army tallied up 20 total fouls throughout the game. These calls led to the Orange and Blue knocking in several free throws, eventually putting the game out of reach. The Bison held an overall success rate of 81 percent from the foul line, with Slagus sinking 6-for-6 attempts and DeBoer 3-for-3.

This triumph brings the Bison up to 12 consecutive wins and 21 straight victories on their home court, both program records. Their record moves to an impressive 17-3 on the season and 9-0 in the Patriot League, where they sit in first place with a one-game lead over Navy. It is the best record through 20 games in the program’s history.

“I believe the key to our success so far this season is our team chemistry. Being such a good group of friends off the court truly translates onto the court and wanting the best for each other,” Slagus said.

After traveling to face off with American on Feb. 1, the Bison will continue their road games when they take on Holy Cross on Feb. 4.