Women's Basketball

Trinity & Tufts Fall in Elite 8 Round of NCAA Women's Basketball Championship

HADLEY, Mass. – The NESCAC Women’s Basketball season came to an end in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Trinity Bantams fell to Smith, the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, 63-46, while Tufts dropped a 72-56 decision to unbeaten Christopher Newport.

Smith def. Trinity, 63-46 | Box Score
  • Records: Smith (30-1) / Trinity (25-6)
  • The overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament Smith Pioneers posted a 63-46 win over Trinity at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
  • Trinity held a 9-3 lead with four minutes left in the opening quarter, but a 10-2 run by Smith allowed the Pioneers to take a 13-11 lead. Reilly Campbell added a basket to pull Trinity even, 13-13, at the end of the first quarter.
  • Smith outscored Trinity 22-11 in the second frame to take a 35-24 lead at halftime.
  • Trinity sliced the lead to single digits early in the third quarter on a Hannah Marzo 3-pointer, but the Bantams trailed 47-36 heading into the final 10 minutes.
  • The Bantams closed to within 10 in the fourth quarter, but Smith went 12-for-16 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
  • Campbell led the Bantams with 12 points and seven rebounds while Emma Wax chipped in 10 points and five assists.
  • Ally Yamada came off the bench to lead the Pioneers, scoring 21 of her game-high 23 points, in the first half.
  • Trinity closes out its season with a program-record 25 wins in the team’s first appearance in the Elite 8.
  • Smith moves on to the NCAA Semifinals, which are being hosted at Trinity’s Oosting Gymnasium, on March 18. The Pioneers will play Transylvania.
Christopher Newport def. Tufts, 72-56 | Box Score
  • Records: Christopher Newport (30-0) / Tufts (24-7)
  • Christopher Newport remained unbeaten (30-0) with a 72-56 victory over Tufts on the Jumbos’ home floor at Cousens Gymnasium.
  • The teams traded the lead through the first half of the first quarter, but a layup by Camille Malagar gave CNU an 11-10 lead with 3:06 left in the frame. It was a lead the Captains would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
  • Christopher Newport’s lead grew to nine in the second quarter, but a four-point spurt just before the halftime horn trimmed the advantage to five, 30-25, as the teams headed to the locker room.
  • Christopher Newport scored the first seven points of the third quarter to increase its lead to 12, 37-25, at the 7:58 mark. The Jumbos responded with a 12-0 run to tie the game up at 37 with 3:17 left in the quarter.
  • CNU was able to push back out to an eight-point lead and headed into the fourth quarter with a 51-45 edge.
  • A 3-pointer by Callie O’Brien sliced the lead to one, 51-50, in the opening minute of the fourth. CNU answered with a 10-0 run to take a 61-50 lead with 3:49 remaining and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way to close out the game.
  • Gabbi San Diego led all scorers with 32 points, including a 12-for-13 effort at the foul line, and handed out six assists.
  • O’Brien paced the Jumbos with 19 points while Maggie Russell added 18 points, including her 1,000th career point, and 10 rebounds.
  • The Elite 8 appearance was Tufts’ eighth in program history and first since 2019. The Jumbos made their 14th NCAA appearance and finished the season with 24 wins, the 11th straight 20-win season.
  • CNU moves on to the NCAA Semifinals, which are being hosted at Trinity’s Oosting Gymnasium, on March 18. The Captains will face Rhode Island College on March 18.