After a strong winter break, including seven wins in their last 10 contests, the women basketball players find themselves looking down at all others from the top of the NESCAC standings. With their conference schedule just getting underway, the female ballers boast a 3-0 record, putting them in the first spot in the conference. The Cards are 13-5 overall this season, with two huge NESCAC wins this past weekend in Maine.
“We’ve been working on our communication and transition defense, and it really showed up this past weekend,” said co-captain Steph Savas ’08. “We’ve learned how to react to our opponents runs’ and maintain a lead.”
Wesleyan’s stellar play was on display most recently this past Saturday when the University faced Bowdoin College. The Cardinals had endured 13 straight years of losing to the Polar Bears, but snapped the losing streak with a 62-49 victory. Wesleyan took the lead less than five minutes into the contest and never let it up, handing Bowdoin only its third home loss in seven years. The Cards have been fantastic this season in holding onto early leads. They are 13-1 this year when taking a lead into the half.
Wesleyan began its post-winter break campaign with a 75-70 victory at Montclair State. Coming off a career-high 27—point performance against Emmanuel College, guard Ali Fourney ’09 scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half against Montclair State to help the Cards to overcome a half-time deficit. Co-captain Lucy Sprung ’08 also set a personal career mark, grabbing 17 rebounds in the victory over Montclair.
Wesleyan then headed up I-91 for the Naismith Classic at Springfield College. The Cards dismantled the hosts 70-55, as Meredith Lowe ’09 posted a career-best 19 points. The Cards unfortunately fell to conference rival Bates in a lopsided championship game in which Wes trailed by as many as 26 points, despite strong efforts from Sprung (25 points) and Anna Southam ’11, who hit three of five shots from three-point range and finished with 11 points off the bench.
The Cardinals finally returned home to Middletown for four games, turning in a 3-1 record. After dispatching Salve Regina 62-44, Wesleyan dropped 88 points on Fitchburg State College as four starters scored between 17 and 19 points.
“Our best games so far have been when we get balanced scoring from all five of the starters,” Savas said.
The Cards again put in a solid offensive performance against Amherst, but couldn’t hold the Lord Jeffs on defense, letting a slight lead slip away late in the second half of a high scoring affair. Wesleyan dropped the Little Three matchup 76-71.
The Cardinals wrapped up their home stand on Jan. 19 with a 76-66 victory over Connecticut College in the first official NESCAC game of the season. Wesleyan has not lost to Connecticut College since 1997, and the victory this year was a crucial must-win for the Cards in their quest to come out on top in a tough conference.
Luckily, Wes’ next game at Williams was not an official NESCAC contest either. The Cards fell to the Ephs 73-68. Uncharacteristically, they let a four-point lead at the halftime get away from them. Sprung, the team’s center, had a monster game in the losing effort, grabbing 15 boards and scoring 32 points: just four points shy of the all-time school record.
Wesleyan toured Maine last weekend, racking up two huge NESCAC victories on consecutive nights over Colby and Bowdoin. All five Wesleyan starters scored in double-digits against the Mules, signaling the return of the balanced offense that had been paying dividends all season. The Cards jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half and never looked back, winning 73-59 as Sprung posted her second consecutive double-double.
The following night, Wesleyan scored a big victory over Bowdoin. The Cards’ offense once again was balanced and productive against the NESCAC’s third-rated defense, with three starters scoring in double-digits and Southam contributing 10 points off the bench.
Wesleyan’s defense was equally as impressive. Led by NESCAC steal leader Fourney, who averages an impressive 3.17 per game, and guard Nikki Maletta ’08, who scored 15, the Cards held the Polar Bears under 50 points for the first time all year. Sprung tallied her third straight double-double with 14 points and 11 boards in the 62-49 victory.
Wes returns to the Tech at 7:30 p.m. for a NESCAC match-up against Bates, as the Cards go for the sweep of the Pine Tree State. The remainder of Wesleyan’s games will be official conference games (including a 2 p.m. home contest against 16-1 Tufts), and the Cards will have to continue their remarkable play in order to stay on top of the competitive NESCAC.
“We are just focusing on Bates as of now since they’re our next game, so they are our toughest opponent,” Sprung said. “We always say we play 24 one-game seasons, so that is what we’re focusing on.”
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