After winning every game in the month of December, the Wildcats split the first two games of conference play, giving them 10 wins in their last 11 games. 

The one loss was the conference opener against Utah Valley University in a game that went to double overtime. 

A key factor in this hot streak was the team’s defense, Assistant Coach Yannick Denson said. 

“We force people to play out of control,” he said. “We force people to do things that they’re uncomfortable doing, and that’s part of being a good defensive team.”

Denson is a new addition to the coaching staff this season who has helped the team find a new intensity on the defensive end, especially when it comes to the fundamentals. 

“We just have to be in our positions,” Denson said. “We have to be in the correct position. We have to set traps and be strong in them. And then we have to rebound the basketball on both ends of the floor.”

While defense is very important to a team’s success, it is not the only thing to take into account. The offense is also key, but chemistry between players could be considered more significant.

Mia Rivers, graduate guard from College Station, transferred in during the off-season alongside six other athletes.

Rivers said the chemistry was not immediate between everyone on the team, but eventually, everyone was on the same page. 

“Things just started flowing super smoothly, and it was a lot of fun,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I’m having a lot of fun.’ I think that was when I felt that we were clicking and we love each other on the court and off the court.”

Rivers said she appreciates the interactions with her teammates more this season than she has before. 

“I don’t take any of those moments for granted,” she said. 

The Wildcats will play Grand Canyon University on Thursday and California Baptist University on Saturday, and Denson has already started preparing the team’s defense for these two games in different ways. 

“Grand Canyon is one of those teams that’s going to play the speed that we want them to play,” he said. “Cal Baptist is a total opposite team. They want to slow the game down, so we might have to speed them up a tad.”

The Wildcats will look to improve their conference record at home on Thursday before traveling to CBU for Saturday’s game.