In the blowout victory over Trinity, the Lady Cards controlled the tempo of the contest right out of the gates, as they jumped out to an early 21-9 lead thanks to a combination of suffocating zone defense and a deadly shooting touch from the outside, with freshman Ali Fourney ’09 and co-captain Ashley Mastrangelo ’06 leading the way. The freshman and senior combined for 40 of the team’s 72 points.
The Bantams had no answer for the Cardinal offense, with Fourney and Mastrangelo leading the early offensive explosion in the first half. Displaying her adept shooting skills from outside, Fourney nailed several clutch shots from the top of the key, taking advantage of the lackadaisical Bantam zone defense. Fourney and the rest of the Cardinal offense shot lights out in the first half, connecting on over 73 percent of shot attempts in the first half, while limiting the Bantams to just a 30 percent shooting percentage during that time.
“Our incredibly high shooting percentage started from our good team defense and rebounding,” Stubbs said. “The defense lead to fast breaks and allowed us to get open shots and inside looks. Everyone was playing and shooting with confidence.”
Not to be outdone by her teammates, Stubbs established herself on the defensive end of the floor. Her ability to disrupt the rhythm of the Trinity offense with her domineering presence down low and tenacious defense helped the Cards hold the Bantams to under 20 points in the first half. Stubbs, who added 14 points on the offensive end of the floor, has an opportunity to become the leading point scorer in Wesleyan history in the team’s next few contests, needing 46 points to reach the milestone.
“Hannah is the best player in the NESCAC, and definitely the best player I have played with,” said Mastrangelo. “She works very hard and her play shows it. I hope we can make [the NCAA Tournament] so that she can reach her next milestone. She really deserves it.”
No stranger to milestones, with her game-high 21-point performance, 13 of which came from the free throw line, Mastrangelo is just five points short of the coveted 1,000-point scoring club. But for Mastrangelo and the rest of the Lady Cards, the number one focus for the team will be the upcoming contest with Bowdoin.
Looking to the Lady Cards’ most eagerly anticipated rematch of the season, the women will be looking for revenge from their last meeting with the Polar Bears. Picking apart the Bowdoin defense at will on Feb. 3 in Maine, the Cards led by 18 points with just under nine minutes remaining in the contest. However, the Polar Bears mounted a valiant comeback and dealt the Lady Cards a heartbreaking loss in overtime.
“We’re going into Bowdoin with a vengeance,” Fourney said. “We’re still pretty upset about the loss, but I think it’s great that we get another shot at them. We’re the under dogs, we have nothing to lose. This time around we just have to leave it all out on the court. As long as everyone participates and does their best, we should be fine.”
For Stubbs, Mastrangelo, and Meghan Robinson ’06, the three senior co-captains have one last shot at advancing to the NESCAC Championship with a win over Bowdoin. Since their disappointing loss to Bowdoin, the Lady Cards have gained valuable experience, and go into the contest riding high off of their convincing win over Trinity.
“The Bowdoin game means a lot of things for this team and myself,” Stubbs said. “I believe that this team has a better chance than ever at beating Bowdoin, but I understand that it will be a tough challenge. We are ready to show the league and everyone how good we are and how much we have improved since last seeing them.”
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