Expectations are high for the Shippensburg University women’s basketball team after finishing third in the PSAC last season with a 17-10 record.

The team is returning 9 players, including former PSAC rookies of the year, guard Lauren Gold and forward Stephanie Knauer. With an abundance of experience, the Red Raiders will look to improve on their already solid numbers from last season.

While the Red Raiders were solid offensively, averaging 79.3 points per game, they were suspect on the defensive end of the floor, allowing 73.2 points per game, which ranked 13th best in the conference.
“To be successful, we need to show a lot more consistency,” head coach, Kristy Trn said. “If we find some consistency from start to finish, then in the end we will hopefully find ourselves at the goals that we’ve set.”

If the Red Raiders are able to find consistency, they should continue to thrive this season. With only losing one starter from last season, the Red Raiders should be able to produce their same success on the offensive side of the floor. Three of their returning starters averaged over 10 points per game, so the key will be to improve defensively as a whole.

“We all know what to expect. We all need to be able to pick up one another,” sophomore guard Lauren Gold said. “There’s no one leader.”

With a balanced and youthful roster, the Red Raiders look prepared to make a deep postseason run. However, Coach Trn made it known that for the team to reach its goals, it must take the season one game at a time.

“I think in the past we’ve been a little bit too concerned about the destination at the end,” Trn said. “This year, we’re really focusing on the journey and what we need to do so that we put ourselves in the position that we want to be.”

The Red Raiders open their season on Friday, November 14 with a 6 p.m. contest against Johnson C. Smith, in the annual Wolf’s Bus Lines Classic at Heiges Field House.

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