This Saturday, the Bates Bobcats grabbed hold of a lead against the women's basketball team and simply refused to let go.
Although the Jumbos valiantly fought back in the first half, they ultimately fell too far behind to catch up and lost to the Bobcats in the first round of the NESCAC tournament 61-37. The loss ended the 2004-2005 season and brought the team's final record to 14-10, marking the program's third straight winning season since Carla Berube took over as head coach.
Entering Saturday's matchup seeded seventh in the NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos knew they were in for a tough game against Bates, the top-ranked team in the nation for the second straight week. Despite being the second seed in the NESCAC tourney due to a conference loss to Bowdoin, the Bobcats are 23-1 and are ranked No. 1 in the D3hoops.com national poll and No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
"Going in, we all knew that all the pressure was on them," senior co-captain Allison Love said. "We thought that would work to our advantage. We all gave it definitely 110 percent, but unfortunately we didn't play to our full capabilities. They're a very good team and they're all very well coached, and they played really hard and really well. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way."
The game featured an impressive defensive struggle, with neither team shooting exceptionally well. Despite holding Bates to 39 percent, and just 35 percent in the first half, the Jumbos were unable to gain any ground, shooting just 27.5 percent themselves. In addition to its struggles from the field, Tufts offset its defensive efforts by committing 30 turnovers.
The Jumbos almost managed an offensive rally against the Bobcats late in the opening period, scoring the last five points before halftime to trail by just seven, 25-18. A three-pointer from sophomore Valerie Krah hit a three-pointer and a jumper by senior co-captain Erin Connolly back-to-back narrowed the gap before the team hit the locker rooms for halftime and put the Jumbos within striking distance as the second half kicked off.
However, Bates never relinquished the lead. The Bobcats' offense, first in NESCAC and seventh-ranked nationally, proved insurmountable, with senior Olivia Zurek leading Bates with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Zurek shot 10 of 17 from the field, more than compensating for her teammates' 15-47 shooting performance. Sophomore Meg Coffin shouldered some of the load with 13 points and five rebounds.
Bates put the game away early in the second half, when Tufts failed to score during the first six minutes after the intermission, and with 14 minutes to play, Bates led by 22, at 40-18.
"Defensive intensity was definitely there [for Tufts]," Love said. "For the most part, we did a good job blocking out and rebounding. Our shots weren't falling, and in the first half it was a seven point game. In the second half, they played better and went on a run and we were never able to catch back up to them."
The Jumbos were led by junior Jessica Powers and sophomore Valerie Krah, who each scored 10 points. Junior Julia Verplank had a game-high nine rebounds.
"[Bates is] definitely a really disciplined and athletic team," Love said. "They run their plays and they get open shots. They don't even hit that many shots, but they keep working it around until they find their open shots near the basket and they hit those. They work really well together."
Bates will continue on in the tournament to play No. 3 Williams next Saturday in the semifinals at Bowdoin, and are undoubtedly looking ahead to the Div. III NCAA tournament, where it will likely garner an extremely high bid.
"I definitely think we gave it our all," Love said. "But some days are better than others, and it wasn't our day on Saturday."
