2016-17 Women’s Basketball Season Preview
GREENSBURG- The Pitt-Greensburg women's basketball team and seventh-year Head Coach Erin Eaton will get the 2016-17 season underway Tuesday evening when it takes to the road to face Grove City at 7:30 pm.
Coming off an uncharacteristic 2015-16 season in which they posted a sixth place finish with a 10-16 overall record and an 8-10 mark in conference play, the Bobcats were selected fourth in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference women's basketball pre-season poll, behind La Roche, Pitt-Bradford, and Penn State Behrend respectively.
Entering the 2016-17 season, the Bobcats return their top scorer and rebounder from last season, in junior guard Kelsey Oddis. Oddis led the team averaging 12.1 points per game and hauled down 7.8 rebounds per contest.
After appearing in just 14 career games through her freshman season, Oddis broke onto the scene earning Second Team All-AMCC honors after recording 16 double-figure scoring performances as well as five double-doubles. The junior
guard posted season-highs of 29 points against Penn State Altoona and hauled down an incredible 24 boards at D'Youville.
Also returning for the Bobcats are seniors Casey Hamilton and Lyndy Baer as well as junior Sylvia Stuart. All three players provided valuable contributions for Pitt-Greensburg last season and will be tasked with providing leadership both on and off the court.
A force on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, Hamilton appeared in 26 games including appearing 23 games in the starting lineup. The senior forward was third on the team in free-throw shooting (.731) and recorded four-double doubles including an impressive 23 point and 17 rebound performance to help guide the Bobcats to a 77-52 victory at Medaille.
Baer is expected to take over the starting point guard role following the graduation of Emily Nelson. The senior guard, Baer played in all 26 games as a junior with 20 starts and was third on the team in minutes (772) and minutes-per-game (29.7). Baer provided valuable contributions in multiple areas in 2015-16, averaging just over 5.0 points, nearly 3.0 assists, and led the team shooting .807 from the charity stripe. Baer will be tasked with quarterbacking the offense for Coach Eaton.
Pitt-Greensburg third leading scorer from last season, junior forward Sylvia Stuart also returns for the Blue and Gold. Stuart played in 20 games as a sophomore and was third on the team scoring just under 11 (10.9) points per game. Stuart persevered through injuries for much of the season but fought through to achieve double-figures in 12 games, including topping the 20-point plateau against Pitt-Bradford and in the season-opener against Grove City. The junior forward was extremely efficient shooting 44.0% from the field to lead the team and was also a force on the defensive end leading the squad in blocks.
Joining Hamilton and Stuart in the frontcourt will be freshman 6-0 forward Jenna Cole. Cole joins the Bobcats after a great high school career at WPIAL powerhouse Norwin High School. Cole lettered in three of her four years and helped guide the Knights to back-to-back WPIAL titles as a junior and senior. Norwin advanced to the PIAA Final four in 2014-15 and Cole played a major role in Norwin's PIAA Elite Eight Run as a senior. Cole will help provide the Bobcats with a presence on both the offensive and defensive glass.
Freshmen Paige Burk and Colleen Murphy also will be looked upon to solidify the backcourt for Pitt-Greensburg in 2016-17. Burk comes to Pitt-Greensburg from Claysburg-Kimmel High School where she was a four-year starter and two-year captain. Burk was an All-Inter County League selection as both a junior and senior and holds the school record for most three-pointers in a single game with 11, which she set during her senior season. Coach Eaton will look to Burk to knock down outside shots and extend opposing defenses.
Murphy comes to the Bobcats after a successful career at Hollidaysburg High School. A two-sport performer in high school, Murphy also excelled on the softball diamond and will also play the sport while at Pitt-Greensburg. Murphy was selected to play in the prestigious Altoona Mirror Classic following her senior season.
The Bobcats are faced with a tough 2016-17 schedule that features seven non-conference games, of which just one will be played on its home court in Chambers Hall Gymnasium.
