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The women’s basketball team wrapped up their regular season last week. In their last two games of the season, the Cards defeated Colby then tragically lost in their final game of the season against Bowdoin.

This season has been up and down for the Red and Black, and the team finished with a 3–5 record in conference play and 13–9 overall. Their final two home games were preceded by a 2-game winning streak against NESCAC rivals Williams and Middlebury.

In the first home game against Colby, sophomore guard Marina Petruzzi continued the scoring prowess she has shown all season with seven points in the first quarter. Despite her strong scoring effort, the Cards were down 30–28 going into the half. The third quarter was a lackluster affair, with no player scoring above three points, but the Red Birds tied it up at 42–42 despite the lack of offensive fireworks. The Cardinals pulled away in the final quarter, finishing out the game with a 20–8 fourth quarter to win 62–50. Leading the charge was another sophomore guard, Maddie Clark, who scored or assisted on 13 of the Cardinals’ 20 points in the quarter. She was able to do this with her successful free throws, going six for seven from the charity stripe in the final quarter, and also hit the Birds’ lone 3-point field goal in the frame. Clark and Petruzzi finished with 19 and 14 points respectively, with forward Katy O’Connor ’21 as the third Cardinal to finish in double-figures with 10 points.

The Cardinals also shined on the defensive end with the win at Silloway Gymnasium. Colby was held to just 32.1% shooting from the field and had only one starter who scored over six points. The Cards also forced the ball out of the Mules’ hands, notching 12 steals and four blocks throughout the game. It was the third time all season that the Red and Black finished a game with over 10 steals and four or more blocks. With three straight intra-division victories in a row, the Birds were looking to build their momentum heading into the final game of the regular season.

The final game of the season against Bowdoin was also a special occasion, as it was Senior Night. This year’s team featured two seniors, center Heidi Scarth and guard Ava Tompkins, both of whom were honored by Coach Mullen before the game. Scarth has been a go-to big off the bench who shot 48% for her entire career as a Cardinal. Tompkins has started each and every game these past two seasons and served as Wesleyan’s primary playmaker, leading the way in assists per game with 3.7 to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 4.7 points per game.

Unfortunately, the team couldn’t follow up the Senior Night ceremonies with a win, and lost to Bowdoin 83–50: their worst loss of the entire season. Bowdoin came out on fire, leading 23–12 at the end of the first quarter and 49–27 by halftime. The Red Birds were then outscored by 15 in the third quarter en route to their defeat.

While the loss to Bowdoin was disappointing, the Cardinals still finished with a 14–10 record and secured the eighth seed in the NESCAC tournament. The Red Birds’ opponent was the undefeated number one team in the country, Tufts University. Their previous matchup had ended in an eighteen point Tufts victory. 

The game was close throughout. By halftime, Tufts led 26–22. Clark led the way for the Cards scoring, totaling nine points in the first half. While the score remained close the entire game, the Birds could never mount a serious attack on the number 1 seed and lost 58–48 to end their season. Clark led all scoring with 16 points, and Tompkins led the team with 11 rebounds and three assists in her final game in red and black.

In the end, the Cardinals finished the year with a 14–11 record and went 4–6 in conference play, both the same records from the year before. It’s a bit ironic for a team that was constantly up and down to be a model of consistency, but let’s hope they keep it up next year.

Rocky D’Antonio can be reached at rdantonio@wesleyan.edu.