On Jan. 22, the Edinboro Fighting Scots women’s basketball team topped the Seton Hill Griffins, 90-71. Edinboro kept up a hot streak with the victory at home, making it wins in four of their last five. Seton Hill, meanwhile, continued to slump, losing four of their last five.
Edinboro’s women came out of the gates strong, scoring eight unanswered points to start the game and ending the first quarter at 22-14. The Fighting Scots kept up the strong defensive play through the first half, going into the intermission with a 42-27 advantage.
The defensive domination cannot be understated, as Seton Hill came into ‘Boro with the highest average points per game in the PSAC, putting up an average of 81.4 points per contest. When asked about going up against the strong offensive squad, head coach Callie Wheeler talked about Seton Hill’s specific strengths.
“They run a unique style of offense, and there were some actions within the offense we felt like we could take away, so that was our main focus. And it would limit them on where they could score the ball. They heavily relied on the 3-point line, as well as the free-throw line, and we were trying to take that away from them.”
After the half, the Fighting Scots didn’t let off the gas, scoring 34 points in the third quarter. Seton Hill nearly equaled their halftime output, but a 23-point quarter kept the point differential increasing in Edinboro’s favor. The Scots faltered slightly in the fourth, scoring only 14 to Seton Hill’s 21. However, that reversal was not enough to shake up the game.
The always efficient Michaela Barnes was a standout performance, scoring 27 points and continuing her dominant season. Starter and freshman Rana Elhusseini scored 26 points, shattering her previous record at Edinboro of 15. Elhusseini also hit five 3-pointers, crushing her previous record of 2. With the victory over Seton Hill, Edinboro moved into a tie for third in the PSAC West conference, ironically enough right there with the Griffins.
Following the game against Seton Hill, the Fighting Scots took to the road to face Slippery Rock. When asked about team dynamics going forward, Coach Wheeler said: “I think our team has really become cohesive and they have fallen in love with playing basketball for each other and having fun. And I think that’s important, at any level.”
The Scots would beat Slippery Rock, 88-59.
Along with her coaching debut, it should be a busy spring. Middlebrooks is currently finishing up as a graduate student at Edinboro, as she’ll get her master’s degree in school counseling this May. |
The student center food court will be offering free food from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on game day courtesy of the University Programming Board. |
Edinboro University’s wrestling team made the familiar trip to Gannon University to compete against both Mercyhurst and Gannon in their first meet of the 2021 season on Jan. 27. |
By Sam Bohen
Staff writer Sam Bohen details his must-watch sports action for your winter break. If you don't care that the Steelers are 11-1, there's still plenty more to check out. |
By Sam Bohen
The new Manager of Annual Giving at Edinboro discusses his history on campus, including his time on the gridiron. |
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference was the top fundraising Division II conference for Make-a-Wish, for the sixth year in a row, with a total of $35,294. |
Between the ongoing pandemic, the continuing PASSHE system redesign, and retrenchment already hitting multiple universities (including Edinboro), change remains in the air. Here’s a rundown of Edinboro’s past six months and what’s to come.
Edinboro University’s Department of English and Philosophy celebrated this year’s Chuck Palahniuk Writing Scholarship recipients with a virtual reading on Feb. 11.
The group tackled the idea of how gender, as Dena Stanley stated, is expansive and ever-growing. Dalen Hooks added that “a lot of people fear what they don’t understand and there’s a lot of miseducation out there.”