West Point – Army junior guard/forward Fiona Hastick’s teammates and coaches knew she was going to break out. It was just a question of when and where and whether the season lasted long enough for her to shine once again.
A preseason Patriot League all-league selection in the fall, Hastick had ankle surgery in October and missed the first month of the season, not seeing action until late December. She averaged just 2.1 points per game this season in limited playing time after scoring around 10 points per game in her first two solid seasons at West Point.
On Wednesday, with Army extending its season in the WNIT, Hastick was her old self. Playing her signature tough defense, she scored a season-high 13 points, grabbed three rebounds and added two assists to help the Black Knights defeat LaSalle, 74-63, in the Round of 16 at Christl Arena before about 540 fans.
Army, now 26-7, will face the winner of Friday’s game between Marshall and Youngstown State in the WNIT quarterfinals. LaSalle finished at 19-14. The Black Knights are the first Patriot League team to advance to the WNIT Great Eight.
This was a different Army team than the one that struggled against NJIT in second round on Sunday. While Army trailed NJIT by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, against LaSalle, the Black Knights shot the lights out in the first half, hitting 64 percent of their field goals and six of seven three-pointers to take a commanding 45-29 lead at halftime and played a harassing defense that seemed to leave the Explorers stunned.
Hastick hit two three-pointers and finished the half with 10 points.
“I think it is a huge testament to just how hard Fiona has worked to come back, all season long,” said junior guard Camryn Tade, who finished with 16 points and had six rebounds. “It is always tough to come back from taking so much time off. But she just kept working and kept working and it paid off when we needed it the most. I know we are all so proud of her.”
Senior co-captain Reese Ericson, who hit three three-pointers to help Army take a 25-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and finished with a team-high 19 points and five assists, also glowed over her three-year teammate and her performance against the Explorers.
“Fiona is the type of player you want on your team, offense and defense, every single time,” Ericson said. “She is just someone you want on your side. We have seen this coming for a long time and I am glad tonight was that night. We knew it was just a matter of time.”
Army first-year coach Katie Kuester said that the coaches had big plans for Hastick this season after her performance her first two years. But the initial ankle injury over the summer was followed by a second injury when she first came back to practice. The decision was made to go forward with the surgery, hoping that she would return for the second half of the season and she would be ready for next year. Frankly, it seems no one knew what to expect from Hastick this year
“I am so proud of Fiona Hastick,” said Kuester, who extended her school record for most wins by a first-year basketball coach at West Point to 26. “It has been a long time for her to get her legs under her and get the feel for the game and learn a brand-new system offensively and defensively with a new staff.
“She has really worked her butt off, rehab-wise. She is someone who is in our coaches’ offices non-stop still trying to make sure she is comfortable with (offensive) plays and our defensive schemes. She is such an unbelievable leader through all this adversity. She is the best kid ever.”
With the Army guaranteed to play a mid-major team in the next round, Kuester said her team is gelling at the right time and the return of Hastick to full strength and full confidence can only help the Black Knights going forward.
“We are still waiting to play our best basketball,” Kuester said. “I think we have that growth mindset, that grind mindset, that we want to get better every single day that we are together. And why not on March 25 start to explode a little bit on both ends of the floor. I think we still have a lot more left in the tank.”
