Bradley Halpern, Senior Staff
After an exciting 70-66 home win against Emmanuel College on Friday, March 1, in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, the UR women’s basketball team fell short in the second round of NCAA play during a home game on Sunday, March 3 against the Williams College Ephs. The Ladyjackets fought hard but were ultimately outscored by the Ephs 68-60.
It was a tough match, battling back and forth for the lead in the first half, with UR at one time ahead by as many as seven points. But after a rough start in the second half, Williams gained a slight lead.
The Yellowjackets kept it close for the majority of the second half. In the end, however, Williams gained a solid lead, and the Ephs ultimately came out on top, allowing them to advance in the NCAA tournament.
Key players of the night included junior Danielle McNabb, who sunk 14 points and had an impressive nine rebounds, sophomore Ally Zywicki, who brought in eight points, nine rebounds, and six assists of her own, and sophomore Breanna Madrazo, who racked in eight points and three assists.
In addition, seniors Amy Woods and Jackie Walker both had a solid game, their last in the Yellowjacket uniform, racking in six points each and seven and six boards respectively.
With her six assists, Zywicki totals 103 assists for the season. She is the first women’s player in six years to break the 100 assist mark in a single season.
Despite these strong performances, the Ladyjackets still came out behind the Ephs. One key factor in this was turnovers. The Ladyjackets committed 10 turnovers, which lead to 10 points by the Ephs – points the UR team desperately needed to win.
However, it was truly the Williams stars of the night who put up huge numbers that led the Ephs to victory. Seniors Claire Baecher and Danny Rainer both racked in game-changing numbers with 22 and 18, points respectively. Baecher also was a monster on defense, blocking shots left and right while totally destroying the Yellowjackets’ inside game.
These huge numbers and star players were the difference makers that helped lead to a Williams win and handed UR the defeat.
Still, the Ladyjackets had a strong season, finishing with an overall record of 20-7 and a conference record of 11-3. Although this year’s season is over, the UR women’s basketball team has a bright future ahead, with lots of young talent to be further developed in the coming years and an opportunity to improve on this years success.
Cozen is a member of the class of 2015.
