The Lady Hornets are set to play the University of Maine at Farmington Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference postseason tournament.
Following a tough 81-65 loss vs. Castleton on Saturday, the women’s basketball team has finished the season with a .500 conference record (7-7). The Hornets finish the season in fifth place in the NAC standings, and as a result will play all of their playoff games on the road. In their loss vs. Castleton, Donna Lawson had a team high 18 points and five rebounds, while Naomi White had 17 points, seven assists, and three steals.
In their first game at home vs. Maine-Farmington this year, the Lady Hornets edged Farmington 73-66 on Jan. 22. However, on the road at Farmington on Feb. 11, they turned in a poor performance against the Beavers and fell by a final score of 69-48. In fact, the Lyndon women have had a lackluster end to the regular season, dropping four of their last six games.
As the women look to become road warriors in the pine tree state, freshman guard and Maine native Ariel McConkey will almost certainly have a significant hand in their success. McConkey was named NAC rookie of the week today for the third time since joining the team halfway through the season. In last Tuesday’s 80-64 win over Green Mountain, McConkey had a team-high 24 points and four rebounds.
Lawson’s performance in the postseason will also be crucial, as she sits second in the NAC in rebounds per game, and is fourth in points per game with 16.7. Lawson has run into some foul trouble of late, however, and keeping her on the court will be another key to victory.
If the women pull out a victory against Maine-Farmington Tuesday evening, they move on to play against number one seeded Husson University (12-2 NAC) in Bangor, Maine on Friday at 6 p.m. The first round playoff game will be web casted with live video and audio commentary at http://athletics.umf.maine.edu/Webcast/index.html