As the women's NESCAC basketball tournament kicked off this weekend, it became apparent that this year's title is very much up for grabs.
On Saturday, undefeated Amherst advanced over No. 8 Wesleyan and easily defended its top seed. No. 2 Colby knocked out a tenacious No. 7 Trinity, though it was the closest second−seed quarterfinal game ever at 65−57. And, for the first time in NESCAC tournament history, two road teams advanced to the semifinals.
A red−hot Bates squad overcame No. 3 Williams 70−63 for its second upset of the week after beating Tufts 71−55 at home on Feb. 13. The Bobcats, who sit in the sixth seed at only 4−5 in the conference, are four−time runners−up in the league but fell from grace early in the season going 0−7 in their first games against NESCAC opponents, three of which did not count toward their conference record.
However, Bates has turned it on lately, winning five of its last six contests, with the only loss coming to Amherst 72−66 — the Lord Jeffs' lowest margin of victory all season. They lived up to their legacy and previous postseason record of 11−9 and now prepare to take on the Lord Jeffs again at Amherst.
"Obviously I think it's going to be a little more difficult," Bates head coach Jim Murphy said. "The first time we played Amherst we played them [at home] and it's always hard to go into the gym of a team that's 25−0.
"Last time we turned the ball over 30 times, and while some of it Amherst forced, some of it was just bad decisions on our part," he continued. "If we cut those turnovers in half, at least, and shoot the ball a little bit better, that will make a big difference. This [Amherst] team has absolutely no weaknesses, so we're going to have to play really, really well. Honestly, we're just excited and hope to get down to those last two or three minutes to fight it out."
And although Amherst has dominated throughout the regular season, the team has been without injured star junior Jaci Daigneault for the last three games, with no certainty of her return. Daigneault, who has the highest field goal percentage in the league, is expected to be absent from Saturday's semifinal contest. With Daigneault healthy and notching nine points and six boards at their last meeting, a 72−66 Amherst win in Lewiston, Maine, Bates was only six points short of Amherst. This time, it seems the door is open for the Bobcats to hand the Jeffs their first loss of the season and advance to their fifth NESCAC Championship game.
"To be honest, only our seniors have NESCAC semifinal experience," Murphy said. "This is a new group, but we've had a couple of big wins — beating Tufts here and winning at Williams. We've got a lot to gain and nothing to lose. I don't think anyone will be betting on us, so we can play nice and loose."
The other road upset ended No. 4−seeded Tufts' NESCAC title hopes and put the possibility of an NCAA at−large bid for the Jumbos in serious jeopardy. In an overtime heartbreaker, Tufts fell to No. 5 Bowdoin 65−54. The Polar Bears, who are now 25−1 in NESCAC tournament play, have won the title eight out of nine times — every time they appeared in a championship game. Despite a 5−4 conference record, Bowdoin, like Bates, tapped into its playoff experience and turned it on in the quarterfinals.
Bates coach Adrienne Shibles knows her squad will have to be flawless on defense to control Colby's offense, which ended the season averaging 74.5 points per game and leads the league in field goal, three−point and free throw shooting percentages. The team also sits in the top spot of all rebounding categories.
"We're really focused on defensive intensity," Shibles said. "And against Colby, it's going to be really important to focus on our rebounding. They're an outstanding rebounding team — when they talk about their own strengths they really highlight that — and we really want to keep them off the boards. We do bring a lot of experience to the tournament, but we know we need to bring our best effort to the game on Saturday, with so much depth in the conference and it being postseason play."
Bates' slated semifinal matchup with Colby on Saturday will be the third time the two teams have met this season. Each has beaten the other once. Though Colby has heated up over the season — going without a loss since Jan. 30 and beating Bowdoin the second time around — Saturday marked the Mules' first NESCAC tournament win since 2001.
It seems this contest will be the one to watch. Bowdoin is defending its title and will hold years of semifinal experience over the Mules' heads, while Colby is riding on the excitement of its winning streak. The tension of a strong Maine rivalry hangs in the air.
"Seeing what happened in the quarterfinal round, it really speaks to the strength of the conference this year as a whole," Shibles said. "But we are 100 percent focused on Colby right now; we are not thinking about anyone else."
