Entering the weekend, the men’s basketball team was in prime position to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament. Occupying the eighth and final playoff position before their final regular season match-up with Williams College on Saturday, the Cardinals controlled their own destiny as either a win over Williams or a Bowdoin loss to Bates would clinch a playoff spot.
But the squad dropped its final contest of the season to the Ephs by an 80-65 margin, while Bowdoin upset Bates, eliminating the Cards from playoff contention.
The Cards trailed 10-2 early in the contest, but found a sense of urgency with their playoff hopes on the line, and they pulled ahead 23-20 midway through the first half. That lead quickly evaporated, however, as the Ephs used their sensational perimeter shooting to build a 10-point halftime lead. The Cards were unable to muster a second-half comeback, as Williams’ 2-1-2 zone defense stifled the Cardinal offense en route to the 15-point victory.
The loss to Williams and the Bowdoin win over Bates ended a disappointing season for the Cards, who finished with a 7-16 record (3-7 NESCAC), and a ninth place finish in the 10 team conference.
Despite returning all their starters from a year ago, and the adding one of the best low post presences in the NESCAC in Rob Kelly ’07, the Cards were plagued by inconsistent play on both sides of the ball in conference play.
“It is always important to perform at your optimal level during the conference season,” said head coach Gerry McDowell. “We did not get to the point where we consistently executed at the level necessary to win. It is very disappointing to have failed to achieve what we set out to accomplish.”
While the Cardinals showed flashes of brilliance in an early season victory over Williams and conference victories over Connecticut College and Bowdoin, the squad also suffered several blowout losses – particularly to conference rivals Amherst, Trinity, and Tufts.
In perhaps their best chance to clinch a playoff spot, the Cards fell to conference rival Middlebury last Friday, 64-58.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, but the Cardinals regrouped and trailed by just three points at the half despite shooting a mediocre 38 percent from the floor. Middlebury came out firing after the break, though, and led by as many as 13 midway through the second half. But thanks to a game-high 19 points from Nick Pelletier ’08, the Cards cut the lead to 56-54 with just over a minute remaining.
From that point on, Wesleyan couldn’t get a big defensive stop or buy a basket – a problem that has plagued the Cards in crunch time all year.
“We really had a shot against Middlebury and we let it get away,” said Jared Ashe ’07.
The final regular season loss to Williams saw the careers of seniors Ashe, Kelly, and Jimmy Shepherd come to a close. All three seniors played a pivotal role on the team this year, as Kelly led the squad in points and rebounds, Ashe in steals and assists, and Shepherd in three-point shooting.
Kelly, whose 18.8 points was second in the NESCAC and 8.6 rebounds third in the conference, had one of the best individual seasons for the Cards in recent history. Opposing defenses often had no answer in the post for Kelly’s drop step post-up move, as he was the go-to player for a Cards on offense for much of the season.
“Rob had an all-conference season and he demanded a lot of attention from opposition defenses which opened up opportunities for his teammates,” McDowell said. “His performance this season was as dominant as any big man who has played here since I arrived.”
The Cardinals will rely on 13 returning starters next season. Pelletier is the high-scoring returnee, having averaged 13.2 points per game to go along with 6.7 boards per night.
“It was a sour way to end the season,” Ashe said. “But I think the team gained valuable experience and will want to make the NESCAC tournament even more next year just because they don’t want to feel this disappointment again.”
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