On Saturday, Mar. 29, NEIU’s Golden Eagles Women’s Basketball team faced off against Truman College’s team in a competitive matchup.
The game started strong for NEIU, as they quickly got on the board with an initial layup of two points. From that moment on, Truman College took the lead and ran with it, building a 11-2 advantage at one stage.
Having shaken off the initial nerves, NEIU began mounting a comeback, steadily narrowing Truman College’s lead. They eventually led in points, going 18-16 in the second quarter of the game.
Despite NEIU’s impressive showing during the first half, Truman College would eventually form a comeback, tying the score at 18-18. This sparked Truman’s resurgence, as they regained the lead and ultimately secured a 24-34 win, despite NEIU’s determination and grit.
Despite the loss, NEIU’s standout players made a strong impression, challenging Truman throughout the afternoon. A special mention goes to the Golden Eagles’ top contributors: Coco Salley, number 4 jersey, as the top scorer with 8 points; Mitzi Salinas, number 13 jersey, as the second lead scorer with 7 points; and Ashley Pagaza, number 6 jersey, who scored 4 points.
Player’s Perspective: Lisa Rodriguez
The Independent caught up with NEIU’s Lisa Rodriguez, number 19 jersey, an undergraduate junior in community health and an Honors student. Rodriguez expressed the importance of a positive mindset when reflecting on her team’s performance against Truman. “This is our best game yet, our new highest score,” Rodriguez said. Her team had a positive attitude and three hours of practice the previous day.
“I feel like the reason why we did a lot better this game is because we spen[t] more time practicing on and off the court and just building that team chemistry,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez expressed that the combination of a positive mindset and the recent improvement of the sports program at NEIU were factors for the close match of the game. In expressing appreciation for her coaches, she shared how “having a really great coach that fosters spaces to be able to improve as individuals and team players” has helped the team out. Rodriguez also credited the opportunity to scrimmage as good preparation for their upcoming tournament on April 25.
Rodriguez addressed her team’s shortcomings as she felt their anxiety and overall nervousness was high at points in the game. She also specified how she had not played in over 10 years prior to joining the team. “I know I’m six foot tall, but my basketball skills and basketball IQ is not really up there compared to some of our team members who’ve been playing since high school and playing in college,” Rodriguez said. “So I’m still a newbie at this.”
Player’s Perspective: Tatum Harris
Tatum Harris, number zero jersey and an undergraduate sophomore at Truman College, also gave insight on the game and sports program at Truman College. Harris complimented NEIU’s team but also advised that they should work on getting the ball past half-court and having more ball movement.
Harris credited her team’s communication and ball movement for their success against NEIU’s team. Harris admitted, “We started off a little rough, but we started hitting our shots and stuff, so that got us some momentum going in.”
Harris scored 13 points for Truman which is approximately a third of the team’s overall points. When asked what made this happen, “It’s really just my teammates, in general, they get me the ball so I could do what I can do,” Harris said. “And I get them the ball, so that they can do what they can do, so overall it’s a team effort to help me.” Harris also admitted that her shots were opportunity-based, as there was no conscious strategy for her to be the lead scorer.
Harris also complimented the coaching staff at Truman College. “They’re doing a wonderful job. They’ve helped me learn a lot more with the game: getting me ready going into my senior season, to get more offense and stuff,” Harris said. “And they’re just really helpful overall; they’re making me better each and every day.”
This is Harris’s first year playing as part of Truman College’s Basketball team. However, she hopes to get an offer to continue her basketball career after Truman College.
Player’s Perspective: Carina Correa
The Independent also caught up with NEIU’s Carina Correa, number 11 jersey and an undergraduate junior in finance.
Correa spoke about her team having better communication on the court compared to the last game. Correa also emphasized that this was one of their best games and how their previous experience playing Truman’s team gave them a better chance to be as successful as they were. In contrast, she describes Truman’s team as more aggressive and better at ball control which allowed them to get ahead in the game.
Correa admitted that her Golden Eagles team recognized their flaws in the game. “Towards the end, we did communicate better. I would say we strategized again, since we couldn’t get the ball into the [half-]court [area],” Correa said. “We talked more and realized [that] there needs to be screens and everything like better planning.”
Correa elaborated when asked about her team’s in-game adjustments. “When they began to press like having two people and one person, we did realize that there had to be someone open [or] someone who has to get open,” Correa said. In other words, she was referring to the defense’s ability to disrupt the offense’s ability to advance the ball. “So we were able to communicate that better in order for us to actually get the ball past half court,” Correa said. She also admitted that her team was nervous going into the game. The nerves seem to be what affected their ball handling. “It’s not even like that we’re bad at handling the ball,” Correa said. “It’s just that we don’t have confidence in ourselves, so that holds us back a little bit.”
After her interview, Correa reached out to the Independent via email to share one last heartfelt message of encouragement for her team ahead of the April 25 tournament.
“I am so proud of my team, every single one of those ladies on the team deserves so [much] recognition and respect for having so much passion and dedication to the game. It has been a privilege to play with them and learn from them. I am genuinely excited about our upcoming tournament, and I have no doubt we are only going to keep getting better and better from here on out. Let’s keep the energy and positivity up. Go Golden Eagles!”
Reported by David Canola, contributing reporter and Angel Nunez, staff writer
