Jumbos mauled by Bobcats

The women's basketball team's hopes for NESCAC glory were crushed by a red-hot Bates Bobcat squad 80-59 this past Saturday in Lewiston, ME. The sixth-seeded Jumbos were faced with a career performance by Bates sophomore Betsy Hochadel and failed to recover after giving up the lead early in their quarterfinal NESCAC tournament match.

"We got into a little bit of a hole," freshman Jessica Powers said. "We went down by a few and couldn't get out of it; we couldn't score and they couldn't miss."

Hochadel recorded a career-high 18 points coming off the bench for the Bobcats. She tied a NESCAC tournament record, making eight out of nine field goals.

As a team, Bates set a new tournament record shooting an impressive 54.7 percent from the field.

Fellow Bates sophomore Olivia Zurek also had a notable day, picking up her tenth double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Bobcat senior co-captain Carla Flaherty had 14 points and six assists to aid in her squad's victory as well.

Tufts began the game with the fire of a team ecstatic to be in the post season.

"We were all very excited; there were a few nerves going in," Powers said. "We came out with a lot of intensity because it's pretty much do or die in the playoffs."

The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead, stemming from a 9-2 run. Powers capped off the streak with a deep three-pointer, putting her squad up 19-12 just half way through the first twenty minutes.

Bates suddenly picked up the pace, forcing several defensive mistakes by Tufts. Flaherty tied the game at 25 with 5:57 remaining in the half with a long jump shot. Bates then took the lead 30-29 with 2:51 left, and did not relinquish the advantage for the duration of the match.

After the halftime intermission, Tufts showed signs of life by putting together a 7-0 run and coming within two points of lead, 40-38. Bates then counter attacked with 14 consecutive points in just under four minutes. Eight of these points resulted from four Jumbo turnovers.

"There were a lot of unforced turnovers that didn't help us at all," Powers said. "We have had a problem with turnovers all season. We tried to minimize them, but had a couple too many."

Tufts lost its steam as the Bobcats kept clawing their way farther and farther ahead. The Jumbos were downcast as the final seconds of their season ticked away and Bates came closer and closer to advancing in the tournament.

"Everyone is sad not just because we lost, but because it's all over," Powers said.

Despite the losing effort, Powers scored a team high 15 points and junior Maritsa Christoudias racked up 11 points and ten rebounds. The team on the whole, however, shot just 33.4 percent from the field. They made a mere four three pointers out of 21 attempts.

Saturday's game was also the final time senior captain Hillary Dunn will put on a Tufts basketball uniform.

"Everything we did this season was for her and to make her last year really special," Powers said. "I think it was [special] even though we lost. It will be hard to see her go. She really brought us all together and was a great leader. We had the best chemistry."

With the win, third seed Bates moves on to the next round of the tournament to play second seed Wesleyan on Saturday. The Bobcats have turned up the intensity during the last part of the season winning five straight and nine of their last ten games. Wesleyan defeated seventh seed Middlebury 71-53 on Saturday to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Despite the loss, the Jumbos' solid 17-6 record and playoff berth show a drastic improvement from last season and also offer a firm foundation for years to come.

"We had a great season and are sad that it's over," Powers said. "But we are going to workout in the off-season playing pickup and doing workouts. We're looking forward to next year."