Atherton, CA- Menlo Women's Basketball kickstarted their season with a tough win in front of their home crowd. The Oaks buckled down on defense and hit shots when they mattered most to defeat the visiting Simpson Red Hawks and starting off the year with a win!
Defense is the Name of the Game
On a day where Menlo's offense started off slow the team's defense rose to the occasion and made plays all game long. For the afternoon, the Oaks posted three blocks, 13 steals and held the Red Hawks to only eight free throw attempts for the game. By the final buzzer, Simpson was only able to knock down 41% of their field goals while also only hitting three of 20 three point attempts. Jordyn Rosette, one of the Oaks defensive leaders last year has already picked up where she left off adding two blocks and two steals to her resume already. The six foot forward legitimately guards all five positions as she constantly jumps passing lanes and contests shots. Another great sign was the return of senior guard Shay Boley. Boley redshirted much of last season due to injury but has already made her presence felt in her first game back this year. She had a game high five steals and caused chaos for the Red Hawks offensive flow the entire game. Her presence as a veteran leader at the point of attack, particularly at guard, will be huge as the season wears on.
Returners Stuff the Statsheet
While it was not the most efficient day for the Oaks, familiar faces came up big when they needed to all game long. Anyone familiar with Menlo Basketball knows the name Kiara Brown at this point. After almost averaging a 20 point double-double last year, Brown dropped 15 points and a game high 14 boards to lead Menlo in both categories. This will be the first of many strong outings for the forward. Tia Morgan and Alberte Frisch would chip in 11 and 14 points respectively. It was especially great seeing Morgan get into double figures on 50% shooting. The sophomore was primed for a big freshman year before an injury forced her to miss time. Now with her eyes set on a full season she's going to give the Oaks opponents plenty of problems with her ability to play a variety of different positions.
Up Next…
The Oaks will enjoy a few days of practice to get locked in for the upcoming Bill Holtz Classic hosted by GSAC rival Jessup University. Menlo will first face the University of Antelope Valley this Thursday before taking on Westcliff University on Friday. With their eyes set on a 3-0 start Menlo is primed to continue to climb up the NAIA national voting that saw them receiving votes to start the year!
