Another seemingly effortless victory went to the Cardinals this past Saturday when they trampled the Connecticut College Camels, 62-37, at home.
After losing their past two games on the road to Bowdoin and rival Williams, the Wesleyan women’s basketball team was ready to come up with a big win at home. The Camels were looking to take advantage of the Cardinals’ slump and improve their record of 9-12 (2-4 NESCAC). The Cardinals hoped to prove that they were not the “second-half team” that they have been for the past few games.
Both teams came out strong, and for the first five minutes the score remained deadlocked. But soon the Cardinals began to pick up the pace and they never looked back, dominating the court from then on. The first half brought them the momentum they needed for a win, as they headed into the locker room with a commanding 30-16 lead.
But would they let this lead slip away yet again?
The answer to this question soon became clear as Wes continued to increase their commanding lead in the latter half of the game. Cardinals’ leading scorer Hannah Stubbs ’06 scored an all-time career high, knocking down 21 points on the Camels’ board. Stubbs, who was ranked second in the NESCAC for field-goal shooting percentage at 52.4 percent to open the week, improved that figure to 55.8 percent after shooting 21-for-31 (74 percent) from the field this week.
Old Cardinal powerhouses handed over control to upcoming Wesleyan superstars Sarah Milburn ’07 and legacy Kelly Bowman ’07. Milburn, who plays point guard, had an outstanding game, but really took charge in the second half as her accurate and sharp passes created many opportunities for the Wesleyan offense. Milburn and Meeghan Ward ’04 led the team in assists with three a piece. Bowman, who has had two older sisters play as outstanding members the team, one of whom still plays with her, has proven that she is no less valuable than her siblings. Her firm plants and quick shuffles helped her to dominate the defensive scene and keep the Camels to about half of the Cardinals’ points.
“Conn. College was an important victory for our team,” said Sarah Milburn ’07. “The win helped us to regain focus on where we want to see ourselves later in the season: winning the NESCAC championship.”
“It’s nice to see that our hard work in practice is translating into efforts we put into the games,” Bowman said.
Nothing could stop the Cards, and all that the Camels could do was to watch the time tick off the clock. The win was big for Wes, who proved that they could not only dominate early on, but also that they didn’t let up in the second half. The Cardinals hope to continue with this pattern and use this momentum in their home game this Friday, February 6, against Middlebury, before hosting Williams the following day.
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