This past weekend, the women’s basketball season came to an end as the Lady Cards fell to Muhlenberg College in the first round of the Division III NCAA Tournament, 57-50. Wes led Muhlenberg for the entire first half and a large portion of the second half, but the Mules took the lead for good with just over three minutes left in the contest and never looked back.
The Cards came out strong in the first half, grabbing a five-point half time lead which they increased to eight in the second half. The women displayed a balanced scoring attack ,led by the three senior co-captains, as Hannah Stubbs ’06, Meghan Robinson ’06, and Ashley Mastrangelo ’06 contributed 40 of the team’s 57 points.
Nonetheless, the Mules dominated the last five minutes of play as they ran off 15 of the next 17 points to take a five-point advantage with 2:30 remaining. The Cards had one last chance to tie the game, down by three, but a three-point attempt by Ali Fourney ’09 missed the mark as the Mules ran out the game at the free throw line.
The loss marked the end of the prolific careers of the Lady Cards’ three seniors, Stubbs, Mastrangelo, and Robinson. In their careers, the three seniors led the Lady Cards to over 80 wins in their careers, making Wesleyan one of the top teams in the NESCAC for the past four years.
Additionally, Stubbs and Mastrangelo passed two key milstones this year, with Stubbs finishing her career with 1,395 points, second all time in Wesleyan history, while Mastrangelo became just the 10th player to reach the 1,000-point club. Additionally, the three seniors led the Lady Cards to another Little Three Championship this year, sharing the title with Williams. For Fourney, the loss to Muhlenberg, ranked 16th in the country, should not diminish the success the Cards accomplished this season.
“I think that our season was a success even though we lost first round,” Fourney said. “I’m proud of all that we accomplished and that we even got the chance to be in the NCAA’s. Of course we would have wanted to take the win but we’re not going to let that loss account for an unsuccessful season.”
For Robinson and the other two seniors, perhaps the most memorable moment of their careers will be defined by the success they accomplished last year in the NCAA Tournament.
“I would have to say [my best memory was] last season when we thought our season was over, but then got placed in the NCAA tourney where we ended up going to the sweet sixteen,” Robinson said. “The thrill of that ride I will always remember.”
While the Lady Cards were unable to achieve similar success in the NCAA Tournament this year, two Cardinals were recognized by the NESCAC for their outstanding play. Stubbs was named to the first team all NESCAC, averaging 15.5 points per contest, while Fourney was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, coming off the bench to average over 11 points per game.
Much of the success of the Cards this year, and the past four years as a whole, Robinson pointed out, can be attributed to their dedicated coaching staff, which should continue to build the basketball program in the years to come, even with the graduation of the three seniors.
“The thing I will miss the most are the people I got to play with, and the coaching staff,” said the co-captain. “Without our coaches, Wesleyan women’s basketball would not be as nearly as successful as we are now. I think a lot of time the coaches get overlooked, but with our team that should never be taken for granted. I think the program will continue to be successful, if not more successful because the younger players are extremely dedicated and have lots of talent. That, tied with the consistently good coaching staff, will definitely put Wesleyan women’s basketball in the top of the NESCAC.”
For Fourney and the rest of the underclassmen, the opportunity to learn from the graduating seniors on the floor this season should spell success for the future.
“It was great playing with [the seniors],” she said. “They’re just great people and great leaders, I really respect them. It was so much fun playing with them because they each brought a different aspect to the game…I think that next year we’ll have to work just as hard, if not harder to get back to where we were this year. It will be tough with the seniors leaving, but I think that we can pull it together.”
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