Coyote women pull off string of home wins

The Coyotes went on the road to San Jose, Calif., looking for their sixth straight win. Despite it being a close game, they came out with a victory 87-77.

“I feel there is a steady climb and we have turned a corner and we have made it. We are gradually getting better, but I really feel there is still a ton of growth for this team,” said head coach Amy Williams.

Once again, the team had multiple players score in double digits. Senior guard Tia Hemiller led the team with 19 points, followed by senior guard Nicole Seekamp with 15 points and junior guard Jasmine Trimboli with 15 points. Nicole Seekamp had a double-double with her scoring and
11 assists.

After these wins, the Coyotes rank in the top 30 or better for the following categories: triples made, assists, scoring offense and rebounding. This week Seekamp was named Summit League Preseason Player of the Year.

Previously, the team has won the last two games at home. Rebounding, assists and sharing the basketball are the keys that earned the Coyotes their win.

This past weekend’s game against Drake was the tougher win, with the Coyotes squeaking by with a 92-87 win in overtime.

Williams said her team knew going into the game that Drake, who was previously undefeated and had beaten teams such as Wisconsin and Iowa State, was a good team but looked at the game as an opportunity to prove themselves

“That’s an excellent opportunity to be able to make a statement for our program,” Williams said. “That was a great thing for us – but the truth is we look at every game on our schedule as the most important one and now Portland State becomes just as important as Drake.”

The following Saturday the Coyotes picked up their fifth straight win, after blowing out the Portland State Eagles 103-61.

“I took a peak at assists and rebounding margin, those are two big stats for us. Those were both in our favor today and it was a great team win,” Williams said.

The Coyotes continued to lead throughout the third quarter and continued to play tough despite the large lead.

“The key with a game like this is watching film on them. They might be 0-6 coming in, but they scape, clock, and play with (a) nothing to lose attitude that you have to stay concerned about,” said senior guard Kelly Stewart. “We got up early but we wanted to make sure to execute our stuff well. (We wanted to) play our defensive possessions well and do what we do and improve upon that. We weren’t playing the scoreboard anymore, we are trying to get better.”

All 13 players scored, while six players scored in double digits including Hemiller with 12 points, Duffy with 11 and Seekamp with 18.

“We wanted to continue to grow in that area, in that having depth and people that can contribute,” Williams said. “This year we have a lot of players that can make an impact, so that’s a good thing. It shows that we have a lot of different players that can be weapons for us.”

Even though the rules have changed, it hasn’t stopped the Coyotes from winning.

“We are still trying to get there and make the adjustment. Even for me it’s an adjustment figuring out the rotations, quarter breaks, and time outs being different,” Williams said. “We are getting there and there is no way to prepare for that except for grinding through it.”

The team improves its record 6-3, and its next game is at home on Dec. 12 at
8 p.m. against Washington.