Despite last second heroics from co-captain Sue Frost ’05, the Wesleyan women’s basketball team’s season came to an end last weekend. The Cardinals dropped their NESCAC tournament quarterfinal match with archrival Amherst, 55-53. The nail-biting loss marked a disappointing end to a very good season for the Lady Cards, who won twenty plus games for the third consecutive year. The Cardinals led most of the game before a 9-1 run by the Lady Jeffs put Amherst ahead 51-48 with only three minutes to play. Frost nailed a three from NBA-range with thirty seconds on the clock to knot the game at 53, but Amherst worked the game’s final possession well and got Kristine Morin on the free throw line. Coming up clutch, Morin drilled both free throws, effectively ending Wesleyan’s season.
“No words can describe the way I am feeling [about the game],” Frost said. “When it comes down to it, the game was ours for the taking and we missed out on that opportunity.”
Wesleyan started the game very strong, dominating the Lady Jeffs the entire first half, heading into the locker room holding a 35-29 advantage. Wesleyan knocked off Amherst twice during the season and neither game was especially close, and at the end of the half it looked like it was going to be more of the same. co-captain Nora Bowman ’05 led off the second half by burying a jumper and kept the Cards ahead early, as the team maintained their lead, holding a 47-42 advantage with eight minutes to play. The Cards, it appeared, were ready to punch their tickets for the second round of the NESCAC playoffs. But the Lady Jeffs beat the Wesleyan full court press for an easy bucket and the purple run was on. Other than a single Hannah Stubbs ’06 free throw, the Cardinals could not manage another basket until Meghan Robinson ’06 slashed for a lay-in with 2:30 to play. But by that time, Amherst had battled their way to the lead.
“We just let them hang around for too long and lost focus of how to run our offense,” said Ashley Mastrangelo ’06.
Robinson’s lay-up had pulled Wes within one, 51-50, and riled the stunned crowd. Unfortunately for the Cardinal faithful, Amherst’s leading scorer, frosh star Matia Kostakis, dropped in a lay-up of her own, pushing the Lady Jeff lead back to three at 53-50. After aggressive play on both sides resulted in a pair of turnovers, the Cardinals found themselves with the ball. Frost found herself with the ball, a good six feet from the three-point line. To anyone watching, the shot looked like a prayer. To the Cardinals, who had seen Sue Frost hit big shot after big shot, they knew it was perfect.
“Sue’s shot to tie the game was amazing,” Mastrangelo said. “She stepped up at the right time. Unfortunately we couldn’t hold on.”
“I was pumped but I just wish that it counted as 5 points,” Frost said. “I wanted it to be enough to get us into overtime.”
With only 8.8 seconds on the scoreboard, the game seemed destined for overtime. The Lady Jeffs, however, had other plans. Morin, who had hit a three pointer to give her Amherst team their first lead of the second half at 49-48, drove on the left side of the basket and drew a foul. The Lady Jeff was clutch from the line, making both her free throws and putting the Cardinals’ collective backs against the wall.
Without a timeout to call, Wesleyan put the ball in the hand of Bowman. The senior raced down the court and fought for a lay-up on the right side. It was just not meant to be.
“I thought for sure that she would get to the foul line,” Frost said. “She did exactly what she needed to do and I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to have the ball. The whistle just never blew.”
The rebound bounced to Robinson, but her last second tip-in was no good as well, falling just short. As the Amherst players celebrated at center court, the Cardinals walked to their bench, contemplating the end of a remarkable season and a dramatic game.
As she has all season, Stubbs led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points, adding seven boards for good measure. Robinson and Bowman each contributed 10 points of their own and Mastrangelo, despite a rough night shooting the ball, hauled home a team-high 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards. Frost put up nine points, on a trio of three pointers, none bigger than her final shot.
“It was disappointing to say the least, but that does not take away from the great 20-4 season we had,” Mastrangelo said. “I think we had a great year, we beat some very good teams, and worked hard enough to make other teams prepare for us, and I think that that is a sign of a great team. I wish we could have pulled it out against Amherst for our seniors because they deserved it. They were great leaders on and off the court.”
The team will be sending off only two seniors this year, Bowman and Frost.
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