HADLEY, Mass. – The Trinity College Bantams will host the remaining rounds of the NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship for the first time in program history. The top-seeded Bantams will host No. 5 Bates at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal on Saturday, February 26. No. 3 Amherst faces No. 2 Tufts in the other semifinal scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Oosting Gymnasium. The winners will play for the NESCAC title on Sunday, February 27 at noon.
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2022 NESCAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round – Friday, February 18 (at Higher Seeds)
No. 11 Colby def. No. 6 Bowdoin, 67-58
No. 7 Wesleyan def. No. 10 Hamilton, 63-52
No. 8 Williams def. No. 9 Connecticut College, 40-31
Quarterfinals (at Higher Seeds)
Saturday, February 19
No. 5 Bates def. No. 4 Middlebury, 87-75
Sunday, February 20
No. 1 Trinity def. No. 8 Williams, 57-46
No. 11 Colby at No. 3 Amherst def. No. 11 Colby, 65-35
No. 2 Tufts def. No. 7 Wesleyan, 58-55
Semifinals – Saturday, February 26 (at Trinity)
No. 5 Bates at No. 1 Trinity – 2:00 p.m.
No. 3 Amherst vs. No. 2 Tufts – 4:30 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, February 27 (at Trinity)
Semifinal Winners – 12:00 p.m.
Trinity (17-5) secured home-court advantage with a 57-46 victory over No. 8 Williams in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Reilly Campbell scored a game-high 16 points with nine rebounds and three steals to lead three Bantams in double figures. Trinity trailed 25-22 at the half, but outscored the Ephs, 16-8, in the third quarter to break open the game and earn an appearance in the NESCAC Semifinals for the first time since 2014. Junior Samantha Gallo (11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Campbell (11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg) lead the Bantams offensively while senior Bailey Hyland is averaging 2.1 assists per game and has a team-best 25 steals. Gallo ranks second in the NESCAC in field goal percentage (54.7%) and free throw percentage (79.1%). As a team, Trinity is limiting opponents to 52.5 points per game, second-best in the NESCAC. The Bantams, who earned the top seed in the NESCAC Championship for the first time in program history, are 11-1 at home this season and are 5-1 in their last six games.
Bates (15-7) is in the NESCAC Semifinals for the first time since 2010 after an 87-75 victory at No. 4 Middlebury. Senior Mia Roy set a NESCAC Championship single-game scoring record pouring in a career-high 35 points to lead the Bobcats. Junior Meghan Graff leads the team in scoring (16.0 ppg), is averaging 4.4 assists per game, and has a team-best 37 steals. Roy ranks second on the team averaging 13.2 points per game. Bates leads the NESCAC in rebounding (43.0 rpg) and junior Brianna Gadaleta is the team leader at 7.5 rebounds per game. Bates is 4-1 in its last five games and is looking to reach the championship game for the fifth time. The Bobcats played in four straight NESCAC title games from 2003 to 2006.
Both Bates and Trinity are looking to win the first NESCAC title in program history. The Bobcats evened the NESCAC Championship series to 1-1 with a 76-71 win in the 2009 quarterfinals the last time the two teams met. Trinity earned a 64-59 win over the Bobcats on February 5 in Hartford.
Tufts (20-3) has reached the semifinal round for the eighth straight year and 12th time overall. The Jumbos enter the weekend seeking their fourth NESCAC title (last: 2019) and have played in 10 NESCAC Championship games overall, including the last seven. The Jumbos earned a trip to the semifinals following a 58-55 win over No. 7 Wesleyan. Sophomore Maggie Russell scored a team-high 22 points and added five rebounds while senior Sofia Rosa chipped in a double-double effort with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Russell (16.1 ppg) is one of four Jumbos averaging double figures and ranks third among the NESCAC leaders. She also leads the conference in rebounding (11.8 rpg). The Jumbos have the top scoring offense in the NESCAC at 70.3 points per game and own a +11.4 scoring margin this season. Tufts is shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc to lead all NESCAC teams. The Jumbos are 8-1 on the road and have won nine of their last 10 games, including four in a row.
Amherst (20-2) is making its 14th straight appearance in the NESCAC Semifinals and has played in 11 NESCAC Championship games, winning eight titles (last: 2018). The Mammoths eased to a 65-35 win over No. 11 Colby in the quarterfinals. Seniors Gabrielle Zaffiro and Dani Valdez combined for 31 points to pace Amherst. Valdez is averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while Zaffiro ranks second on the team in both categories at 11.2 points per game and 5.1 caroms per contest. First-year AnLing Vera ranks second in the NESCAC with 5.0 assists per game and chips in 10.0 points per contest while senior Courtney Resch is second in the league in blocks with 47 this season. Amherst is holding opponents to a NESCAC-low 48.1 points per game and is limiting them to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor and 23.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Mammoths also own a +14.0 scoring advantage this season. Amherst is 10-1 away from Lefrak Gymnasium and has won 10 straight games.
Tufts versus Amherst will pit the top offense in NESCAC against the conference's best defense as the teams meet for the ninth time in the NESCAC Tournament. The Mammoths own a 6-2 advantage in the series, but the Jumbos won the last meeting, 47-46, in the 2019 semifinals. Amherst posted a 62-53 win at Tufts on January 15 during the regular season.
