Oberlin College women's basketball team looks to build on top-shelf season last year

Last season was a perfect storm for Oberlin. This season, the Yeowomen hope they can ride it a little further. Oberlin went 21-4 and finished second in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Three players were named to the All-NCAC team, including two first-team selections and the newcomer of the year. However, the postseason ended with a 60-50 upset loss against Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAC tournament semifinals. This time around, Oberlin looks to finish the deal. "We ended our season on a bit of a down note and didn't feel like we were playing our best basketball at the right time," Oberlin coach Stephany Dunmyer said. "It definitely left them hungry and really motivated to come back and have a different result this year. Our captains and returners have stepped in and really led from the start." The good news for the Yeowomen is that the oldest member of its core trio is only a junior. Gina Lombard, a 3-point sharpshooter who finished second in the NCAC with 66 threes and averaged 12.2 points per game with at least three 3-pointers in 12 games. She started all 25 games as a sophomore and finished with 17 double-digit scoring efforts. Even though Lombard and her fellow juniors were in their second year, last season was their first full season of basketball because the NCAC — like most of Division III school — elected not to hold a formal season. "As a freshman, it was the big COVID year so we just practiced almost every day for the whole year," Lombard said. "It really brought our class together. And then with the incoming freshman class, we just stressed how grateful we were for the opportunity to play again. We had some games taken away from us last season, too." The other two All-NCAC selections are sophomores. Camille Zinaich was a first-team honoree and named the league's top rookie. She led the NCAC with 9.8 rebounds per game and finished second in the league with 4.2 assists, also averaging 11.6 points and shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Her debut season couldn't have gone much better. She dropped seven double-doubles and was one of just three players in the nation to record two triple-doubles. She posted double-digit rebounds in 14 games, hit double figures in scoring 12 times and recorded five or more assists in 11 games. "It helps to play with the team that we have here," Zinaich said. "Assists is not a one person thing, and even points is not a one person thing. My team does a great job of making it easy for me to get open or get a good shot off. They push me, and everyone on the team, to be better and that makes it so much easer to get accomplishments like this." Finally, Bryana Woodard garnered second-team honors as a rookie after anchoring the Yeowomen in the paint. She connected on an NCAC-best 53.5 percent of her shots, finishing third in scoring average at 14.9 after reaching double figures in 22 of Oberlin's 25 games. She also averaged 5.7 rebounds per game with three double-doubles. Her defense resonated throughout the team as she was tied for second in the league with 1.5 blocks per game and her 39 steals ranked second on the team. "It's something I've been trying to focus on," Woodard said. "I had to put in a lot of work, defense is really hard for me, but my mindset is get stops and it makes your offense much easier. It helps to have a great team that has the energy and will pick me up if I let anything slide. High school is more individual oriented, so as long as you have your girl on lockdown its good. But college is more team minded, if my teammate gets beat I have to go help. That took awhile to learn, but that's where a lot of my blocks come from." Of course it takes more than three players to reach the postseason. The Yeowomen's fourth returning starter is junior co-captain Alyson Jefferson, who made 20 starts at point guard. Juniors Maggie Balderstone and Jaedyn O'Reilly bring versatility off the bench while senior Grace Burns and sophomore Marley Cox add additional depth to the backcourt. Kendal McCall may see an expanded role in the frontcourt as a sophomore after averaging 14.5 minutes in her debut season. Senior Jasmine Roberts and sophomore Taylor Sanchez are also vying for playing time in the paint. Oberlin welcomes five freshmen into the program who look to expand the team's depth. "If we can get completely healthy, and stay healthy, our depth is going to be a huge advantage," Dunmyer said. "Alyson Jefferson had just as much of a chance in getting into that all-conference mix and has started off the season in a really great way for us. Having fresh legs to put in and the ability for different people to step up makes us a lot harder to scout." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.