Women’s basketball (14-10, 4-6 NESCAC) qualified for the season-ending NESCAC tournament this weekend after splitting a pair of home games. Despite a senior day loss to the Amherst Mammoths (18-6, 6-4 NESCAC) on Saturday, the Ephs’ 66-54 victory over the Hamilton Continentals (15-9, 4-6 NESCAC) the previous night gave the team the head-to-head tiebreaker, solidifying them as the eighth seed for NESCACs.
The importance of this weekend’s games — especially Friday’s matchup against the Continentals — was not lost on the Ephs. “We knew going into this weekend that it was crunch time,” said Guard Ellie Tounkara ’25. “You could really feel that. Everyone was more focused and more locked in.”
The Ephs put their best foot forward from the outset of their game against the Continentals. The team got out to an early advantage, leading 14-9 after the first quarter and 35-25 at halftime.
“We put a big emphasis on how we started the game,” Tounkara said. “You could feel from the moment we set the tone that, if Hamilton wanted to stay with us, they would have to respond.”
“We went into it really focused on individual matchups, and we executed really well on that,” guard Micah Walton ’28 said. “We had our players specifically focusing on [offense], and then playing team defense was the default.”
The Continentals surged back into contention in the third quarter, ultimately reducing the deficit to 44-41. But the Ephs responded in the fourth quarter, quickly extending their advantage into double digits and achieving a 66-54 victory.
The play of Cortland McBarron ’25, Arianna Gerig ’25, Mairi Smith ’27, and Walton proved pivotal in the fourth quarter, as each player made multiple shots. Smith knocked in her second three-pointer of the season to ice the game at 66-51, and led the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds, both season highs.
“Coach Pat [Manning] said something before the game that was really impactful to me,” Smith said. “She was like, ‘I just need you to bring the player you are to this game, and do what you can contribute on offense. None of you are everything we need [alone], but all of you are everything we need together.’”
Three other Ephs finished the game in double digits. McBarron scored 14 points, Gerig finished with 12, and Tounkara with 11.
After their critical victory against Hamilton, the Ephs turned their attention to Amherst. The game’s stakes were amplified by its designation as senior day. “Definitely there was some heightened energy playing for our seniors [on] Senior Day,” Smith said. “How much more can you ask for? An Amherst game on Senior Day to make the NESCAC tournament.”
The Ephs celebrated each of the five seniors on the team — Gerig, Kate Keenan ’25, McBarron, Izzy Sullivan ’24.5, and Tounkara — before the game began. Each senior played her final home game wearing purple and gold on Saturday.
“I was just trying to take it all in,” Tounkara said. “I just told myself to enjoy the moment and be present and leave it all out on the court.”
This year’s seniors have left their mark on the program, Walton said. “It’s hard to imagine a year without them, but the impact they’ve left [will be] as if they’re still there.”
Smith echoed this sentiment. “The biggest thing for me has been the intensity [the seniors] bring to every single practice and every single game,” she said. “They play like each game is their last, and it’s always inspiring because you can’t not match that.”
Unfortunately, the Ephs could not translate the senior day energy into a season-ending victory. The Mammoths jumped out front early in the contest, taking an 18-10 lead by the end of the first quarter. Despite the Ephs’ comeback efforts, Amherst never relinquished the early lead, ultimately winning 62-54.
For the Ephs, Gerig led the way with 19 points in the final home game of her illustrious career. Smith and Walton added ten points each for the team in defeat.
However, the same day that the Ephs lost to Amherst, Hamilton lost 72-77 to Middlebury (15-9, 5-5 NESCAC), leaving the Continentals tied 4-6 with the Ephs in the conference standings. On account of their victory against the Continentals on Friday, the Ephs claimed the final spot in the NESCAC tournament, as the eighth seed.
For the Ephs, this technicality brought conflicting emotions. “Walking into the locker room right after the loss, somebody had pulled up the Middlebury score,” Smith said. “There was a mix of sad tears and also happy tears.”
Despite the tough loss, the team is excited for the opportunity to compete in the NESCAC tournament. They will take on the No. 3 Bowdoin Bears (24-0, 10-0 NESCAC). The Bears defeated the Ephs 80-56 in their previous matchup on Feb. 8. “Obviously, we have a massive challenge coming up against Bowdoin,” Smith said. “But what an opportunity to pull off something that nobody expects us to do and play with no pressure.”
“I do think that we have good matchups, and I do think we can beat them,” Walton said. “It’s just about believing in that.”
