The Williams College Ephs knocked off the women’s basketball team 63-53 in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, ending the Cards’ season. The Ephs will face number one seed Bowdoin in the semifinals next weekend, while the Cards are left to wonder what could have been.
Entering the contest having lost two in a row to the Ephs during the regular season, the Cards knew what was necessary to advance: stingy defense and just enough offense to get the victory. Williams’ senior frontcourt duo of Maggie Miller and Meghan O’Malley proved too much for the Cards to handle though, as the two combined for 38 points and 22 rebounds.
Initially, it appeared that the Cards might get the game they wanted, as both teams struggled offensively and combined for 25 turnovers in the first half alone. The score remained close into the final minutes of the first half, when Williams finally settled into its offensive rhythm.
With the Ephs holding a four-point lead with 5:04 left in the half, they began running an effective half court offense that helped them push the lead to 31-21 at the half.
Williams carried its momentum into the second half, opening with a 7-0 run and eventually gaining an 18-point lead with 13:20 to go.
At that point, Wesleyan finally picked up its own offense and slowly worked its way back into the contest. Sarah Milburn ’07 hit a three at the 3:20 mark and captain Kelly Bowman ’07 followed with a lay-up to pull the Cards within eight.
Williams responded calmly, however, slowing the game down and hitting free-throws down the stretch to earn the 10-point victory.
Meredith Lowe ’09 picked up 12 points, her fifth double-digit output in the final nine games, to lead the Cards offensively. While the Cards were unable to contain Miller and O’Malley effectively, the Ephs managed to shutdown Ali Fourney ’09 for the second time this season, holding the sophomore to three points on 1-for-8 shooting.
Fourney led the team in both scoring (15.0) and rebounding (7.0) this season and will return as part of a solid core for next year’s squad.
“I think that we had a lot of potential this year that we did not quite fulfill, but I think that we are coming back with a lot of experience and talent for next year, and next season should be a great season,” Lowe said.
On the contrary, Bowman, Milburn, and Ginny Hermann ’07 saw their careers come a close on Saturday. The trio was part of four consecutive winning seasons, amassing a record of 75-26. They also took two consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III tournament in 2005 and 2006, making it to the sweet 16 in the 2005 campaign.
While the seniors will be missed, the Cards will return their top three scorers in Fourney, Lowe, and Nikki Maletta ’08, and their top rebounders in Fourney, Lowe, and Lucy Sprung ’08. That core, combined with a host of freshmen, will look to earn Wesleyan its eighth straight winning season.
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