Austin Bryner 4/16/24
(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Perna)
The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team provided many positive moments in what was a down year for the University’s basketball program finishing 6-22.
Coming off a 2022-23 season where the Raiders would finish with a 25-7 record and a stint in the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) Eastern Division Women's Basketball Team) women’s Basketball Championship playoffs and the Division II Women’s March Madness Tournament, the team would have high expectations heading into the next season. However, it wouldn’t be easy to continue the same success as the team would lose key players Erin Gibbons, Lauren Pettis, Mya Woodard, and Ariel Jones to graduation. The latter of which holds the all-time record for points in a career for both Shippensburg University and the PSAC Women’s basketball. Jones would go on to plate the 2023-24 professional basketball season internationally in Australia.
Going into the new season after such a successful year the team’s goal was to stay competitive.
“Our goal was always to be competitive, which we did. Despite a rough season, throughout the year the girls got more physical, made the hustle plays, they were able to learn and grow each game as the season went on,” said Graduate Student guard, Treasure George.
Similar to the men’s team, with losing many big names from previous years of success the Raider team would look a lot younger this year with all but three players on the team being Juniors or younger. With players graduating, multiple starting positions were open for the taking. Two freshmen who stepped up to the plate were guard, Bella Chimienti, and forward, Alexis Buie. Chimienti and Buie would start a majority of the games this year scoring 242 and 153 points respectively. Out of the entire roster, Chimienti was the only player to play in and start all 28 games this season, logging 939 total minutes in that span. Buie on the other hand, was dominant in the paint blocking a team-best 15 shots on the year.
One woman who stepped up to the plate this season in a bigger role was team captain Treasure George. This season George would score 392 points with an average of 14.5 points a game. George would also lead the team in both assists and steals with 67 assists and 32 steals respectively. She would be named to the 2023-24 All-PSAC East Division Women's Basketball Team. That wasn’t all George was able to do this season, as she joined 25 other women in the University’s 1000-point club.
In the final game of the season and of her career vs Shepard University on February 28, George would achieve her career-high of 35 points. Going into the game George would have a chip on her shoulder after her previous performance against the Golden Rams earlier in the year.
“I had a bad game against them earlier in the year not because they played better I was just in my own head, and I told myself I wouldn’t allow that to happen again. I have been so close to cracking my career high all year and just always fell short but I always believe that God’s timing is perfect timing and I crushed it. I just played loose, the game plan for every game was most importantly have fun, but for this game to honor the seniors leaving and go out with a bang, and that we did,” said George.