Olympia is 4-0 against the Cougars since December of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. Both teams will face off at 6:00 p.m. on February 1st without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Olympia has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while the Cougars will arrive with four straight wins.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 57-30, which was the final score in Olympia's tilt against the Seminoles on Tuesday. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Olympia in their matchups with the Seminoles: they've now lost three in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ava Pazos, who scored 11 points along with five assists and five rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Arlinda Roundtree, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, University scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 54-35 win over Freedom.
University's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jacqueline Leap, who scored 12 points. Another player making a difference was Jasmine Fajardo, who scored 12 points.
Olympia dropped their record down to 8-11 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for University, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 8-11.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Olympia have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for University, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 rebounds per game. Given Olympia's sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Olympia took their win against the Cougars in their previous matchup back in January of 2021 by a conclusive 55-33. The rematch might be a little tougher for Olympia since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
