The Lehman College women's basketball team came into the 2009-2010 season with expectations of making a fourth consecutive trip to the CUNYAC championship game and winning their second conference crown in four seasons. However, with the departures of seniors Sally Nnamani, Monique Sampson, and Whittney Barnes, Head Coach Eric Harrison retooled and reloaded his team, adding exciting newcomers such as Melissa St. Louis, Dorothy Hunte, and Alicia McDaniel, among others. Returning to the fray were Barbara Febus, Kelsey Ash, Tonisha Kirby, and Simone Byrd. Tiana Rosa sat out last season with an injury and is now participating in her freshman season. Currently, Lehman sits at 3-7 on the season, and many fans are wondering if the team has the pieces to make another championship run. The Lightning faithful shouldn't be thoroughly concerned, as the Lehman College women's basketball team has made a habit of saving its best for the second halves of seasons.
After solidifying a CUNYAC crown by beating Baruch College 52-51 back in February of 2007, the Lightning began the 2007-2008 season with a record of 7-7 before winning 10 of their next 13 games and making a run back to the CUNYAC title tilt. Last season, Lehman mustered an 8-8 record through 16 contests before running off eight consecutive victories and eventually solidifying spots in both the CUNYAC and ECAC Metro NY/NJ championship games. So as one can see, the pattern of success hasn't been smooth for the Lightning over the past three and a half seasons, but coach Harrison has reason to believe that the 2009-2010 Lightning team that has started 3-7 will right the ship and get things going.
“We had significant turnover in the offseason, so our veteran players and newcomers are still trying to develop that chemistry and once they do, I feel as though this can be a special group,” Harrison said. “The veteran players on this team know what it takes to be successful. They have been expected to kind of guide the new group and I feel when the new year rolls around, we're going to be ready to get rolling.”
The Lightning have two non-conference games remaining (a December 30th contest at No. 2 ranked Amherst College and a January 4th home tilt with Keystone College) before finishing their season with 11 conference games in a 13-game span. Dating back to the 2007-2008 season, the Lightning have posted a 23-5 mark in 28 conference games, and are undefeated against eight of the 10 CUNY schools during that span. If the Lightning are going to be successful in the second half of their season, they're going to need to stay healthy, develop consistency in their offense, and feed off the momentum of victories – three things that have seemed to go in Lehman's favor during the second halves of the last two seasons.
In terms of plugging the holes left by the departures of Nnamani, Sampson, and Barnes, the Lightning have taken the necessary steps in doing that. After a slow start to the season, Dorothy Hunte has done a fine job of establishing herself in the paint and opening up the offense for her teammates – a role that was filled by Barnes last year. Currently, Hunte leads the team with a 12.2 points per game average, and she is also third on the team in rebounding, snatching 6.6 boards per contest. Her nine blocked shots is also good for second most on the club. Tiana Rosa has done a tremendous job attempting to fill the void left by Sampson, as she can score, rebound, and defend. She currently averages 6.5 points per game to go along with 10 caroms per contest and she leads the team with an impressive 18 rejections. Perhaps replace Nnamani's scoring and defensive prowess is the most daunting of tasks, with the former Lehman standout serving as the Lightning's all-time leading scorer. Newcomer Melissa St. Louis has explosive ability as she averages of 11.6 points per game, and she'll need to become even more of a scoring threat in the season's second half. Tonisha Kirby, Kelsey Ash, and Barbara Febus provide stability and contribute in numerous fashions as well.
Through 10 games, the Lightning are still a team looking to find an identity, but if the script of the past two seasons remains the same, coach Harrison's group will likely find its way in early January and begin getting primed for a serious run at a conference championship. It should certainly be exciting to see how the remainder of the season unfolds.
