Seton Hill women's basketball finds balance during record start

It’s more than a mantra for the Seton Hill women’s basketball team. It’s a fashion choice.

Players received T-shirts that read “3eton Hill” — a play on the program’s propensity for shooting 3-pointers. Some love the shirts. A few find them tacky, but there’s no denying all 14 Griffins support the message.

Seton Hill loves shooting 3-pointers. Few Division II programs do it more often or with more success, and it has helped the team to the best start in program history.

“That should be an example to them to just play with confidence. We’re behind you. We never question a shot you take. If you think you’re going to make it, take it,” seventh-year coach Mark Katarski said. “I know some people think that’s reckless, but we’re trying to teach them to have the confidence to do it. The ball doesn’t have a memory. The rim doesn’t have a memory.”

Seton Hill averages 32.3 3-point attempts and makes 10.5, which is tied for fifth in Division II. The aggressive approach has led to a 10-1 record, and the Griffins are 5-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play after Friday’s 85-62 win at Mercyhurst.

“I love the free-flowing style that we play,” junior guard Cheyenne Trest, a three-year starter, said. “I love running up and down floor, free-flowing, not worrying about making mistakes.”

Trest, a Canon-McMillan product, leads Seton Hill in scoring through 10 games with a 13.8 average. While Trest has made 13 3-pointers, her game is about getting to the basket, as her 55 made free throws attest.

Seton Hill’s 85.1 points per game ranks fifth nationally, and balance is the key component. Despite the gaudy team numbers, no player dominates scoring or shot attempts.

“The way we play allows everybody to show what they’re good at,” said junior guard Courtney Cecere, who earned PSAC-West Athlete of the Week and Defensive Athlete of the Week honors Dec. 16. “The way we play, obviously, with ‘3eton Hill,’ we try to emphasize that a lot. But we have a strong presence everywhere on the court. It nice to have the balance we have.”

Trest is one of four Griffins who average in double figures. Senior guard/forward Lexi Civittolo (13.4), junior forward Katie Nolan (12.7) and Cecere (11.7) are the others. Guard/forward Tiana Stewart, a redshirt sophomore, is right behind with a 9.9 average. Ten players have made 3-pointers, and senior guard Sydney Rabold (Ambridge) leads Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3).

It’s a balanced group but also one with something to prove.

Seton Hill was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC West in a preseason poll of conference coaches. Maybe coaches thought the Griffins would struggle after the departure of Megan Marecic, a grad transfer from Drexel who averaged 18.7 points in her lone season with the team. Then again, going into the season, Seton Hill wasn’t certain what to expect.

“We thought this was who we could be, but we didn’t really know, and that’s been the beauty of our group,” Katarski said. “It’s hard keeping all of us down, and I like to tell them it’s hard to guard the (3-point) arc and the paint at the same time.”

The Griffins also are a group gaining confidence — and one that received a major jolt in a game that did not count. After a pair of wins in West Virginia to open the season, the Griffins plays an exhibition at Division I St. Francis (Pa.). Seton Hill trailed by 12 in the second half, but a 13-0 run — fueled by (what else?) a 3-pointer from Nolan — in the fourth quarter led to an 83-78 win.

“It showed we’re a good team, that we’re going to be very competitive,” Trest said. “We have a chance to make a real impact, start a new thing at Seton Hill. Let’s be seen as one of those IUPs. You’re scared of us when you play us.”