When the lights flicker on in the Rike, seniors Kristi Kotterman and Shea McCoy can be seen quietly leading by example while Julie Macioce can be heard, keeping everyone in the game as the team’s vocal leader.

Standing at 17-6 with two games remaining and fighting for third place in the OAC, the women’s basketball team looks to Kotterman, McCoy and Macioce to lead this Wednesday and Saturday.

With six varsity letters, two Second Team All-OAC finishers and over 2,300 total points between them, the seniors on the team are its backbone.

Both McCoy and Kotterman broke the 1,000-point mark for their respective careers this season. McCoy broke the barrier early in the season in a win against Washington and Jefferson College, and Kotterman topped 1,000 in a December matchup against John Carroll.

“I’m just proud of what they have accomplished by scoring 1,000 points,” Macioce said.

But when the lights fade and the clock is switched off, memories of the past four years come back.

“I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I was physically able to,” McCoy said. “(I) went to Indiana Tech (as a freshman), but got homesick and decided to come closer to home.”

McCoy, a psychology major from Delaware, Ohio, considers “right now” to be the favorite moment of her career. With the team fighting to make the NCAA tournament, she is just excited to see where the rest of the season takes them.

As for the 1,000 points, she said she never really thought she could obtain it. “When I did — I can’t really explain it. It’s definitely a huge milestone and I’m thankful for that,” McCoy said.

Kotterman, a 5-foot-7-inch allied health major, shared the same sentiment. This season in particular is quickly becoming her favorite memory.

“This season is memorable for us … we’re going to fight in the OAC Tournament,” Kotterman said.

Making the memories even fonder is the 1,000-point benchmark she broke earlier in the season. “Coming here, (it) wasn’t even a thought,” Kotterman said. “Achieving that and having a great season made it one thousand times better; it means so much more (to have) a great season.”

Described as the team’s voice by both McCoy and Kotterman, Macioce said that some of her favorite memories are the times the team beat Capital.

A native of Gahanna, Ohio, Macioce is a health promotion and fitness major with aspirations of becoming a wellness coordinator.

The trio’s final two games are looming on the horizon: The ladies host Heidelberg on Wednesday before traveling to Wilmington on Saturday to round out the regular season.

OAC Tournament play begins Feb. 21. However the season ends, it is going to cement itself in the memories of these seniors for the rest of their lives.