By Bob Bonett

The women’s basketball needed a sparkplug to avoid being upset by the Gaels on Sunday. Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey opted for the team’s sharpest shooter-even if she had been limited in practice the entire week.

Battling an injury to her leg the previous couple of practices, guard Sam Brigham needed to be scratched from the lineup at the last second in lieu of freshman guard Candice Bellocchio. Limited to the stationary bike just 24 hours before, Brigham’s status for the game was in question, as Kilburn-Steveskey needed to decide whether playing the sophomore guard in a non-conference match-up was the right decision to make.

After one-half of action and a three-point deficit, Brigham was still relegated to the bench, despite 10 of the other players on Kilburn-Steveskey’s team seeing at least a minute of court time.

Then, down 36-34 with 17:04 to go in the second half, the women’s head coach decided to slot Brigham into the shooting guard position, hoping for the sophomore to provide a consistent scoring attack from the perimeter.

Kilburn-Steveskey ended up getting just that, as a Brigham lay-up two minutes later-with no signs of pain showing when she drove to the basket-started a scoring barrage that included 10 points in just 16 minutes of action.

“Obviously, she wants to be in there starting from the tip, and we want her in there, but to be able to utilize her that way, I think it was a plus,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. It saved her legs, it gave us a chance to work her in and get her some big shots, and especially some good shots.”

Brigham’s role likely will increase as the year progresses and her injury subsides. Tonight against Rider, it would not be out of the question to see Brigham starting at shooting guard alongside Niki Williams in the backcourt, Linn Quamme and Natty Fripp at the forward positions, and Jess Fuller at center.

While it may be rash to suggest Brigham will be the women’s team’s Antoine Agudio as just a sophomore-one year removed from averaging less than five points per game, mind you-it may be in the realm of possibility. Brigham needed just six shots to invoke an arousal of approval from the crowd in her season opener, as she nailed two of four three pointers while looking like one of the fastest players on the court.

Forget the points Brigham put up, though, or the fact that she may have been the catalyst behind the team’s season-opening victory; fans, and more importantly Kilburn-Steveskey, were able to rest easy when Brigham told the coaching staff all was well following the game.

Mack Sports Complex fans may be able to look forward to “Brigham FOR THREEEEE” calls the next