ALBANY, N.Y. –  Heading into Wednesday's season opener, the excitement surrounding the Russell Sage College women's basketball program is two-fold. The Gators get their 2021-22 season, consisting of 25 games, underway on Wednesday at Cazenovia. Tip-off is set for 5:00 pm.

"It's very exciting to be back, especially when we have a good group of players coming in combined with a bunch of talented returners," said Head Coach Allison Coleman. "They are excited for the opportunity to compete and actually play a full season this year."

RSC has nine players: sophomore guard Shauna Ferris (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes), senior guard Madison Greco (Utica, NY/West Canada Valley), senior guard Lily Batule (Slate Hill, NY/Minisink Valley), junior guard Renna Poulin (Troy, NY/Tamarac), senior guard Sammy Pasinella (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville), sophomore forward Savannah Sommer (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy), senior guard Meghan Murray (Watervliet, NY/Watervliet), sophomore forward Bre Lott (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen), and senior forward Kyra Oeffler (Green Island, NY/Heatly), back in Green and White this year.

The senior trio of Pasinella, Murray and Oeffler headline the contigent. Pasinella averaged 13.7 points and was named first-team All-Empire 8 Conference last season. Oeffler is a handful in the post, recording 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per-game in 2020-21, while Murray contributed 9.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per-game last year.

Coleman, now in her eighth season at the helm, has brought six newcomers into the fold. Freshmen guards Gwen Eichen (Moriah, NY/Moriah Central), Syrita Faraj (Troy, NY/Tamarac), Malena Gereau (Schroon Lake, NY/Schroon Lake Central), Olivia Huneau (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes), Lauren Sanderson (Ravena, NY/RCS), and Angelina Schaefer (Latham, NY/Shaker) comprise the group.

Sage hits the road early and often during its non-conference slate. The Gators start with their opening six games on the road, including competing at the Emmanuel and Wesleyan Tournaments. RSC has its home opener on Thursday, December 2 vs. SUNY Cobleskill. The E8 portion of the schedule kicks off on Tuesday, January 4 at Hartwick.

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