By Jonah Deutsch
Contributing Writer

The Wesleyan women’s basketball team had a discouraging weekend at home, losing to Amherst on Friday night 58-55, and to Trinity on Saturday 62-52. The Cardinals’ record dropped to 2-5 in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play, and 12-7 overall. 

The team played first-seeded Amherst neck-and-neck the entire game, but couldn’t match Amherst’s three-point lead with 10 seconds to play. Wesleyan’s eight three-pointers, a team record, earned them a seven-point lead with under five minutes remaining in the game. 

Following three big trys by Amherst to tie the game with two minutes left, and a few missed layups by Cardinal forwards, Amherst pulled away with a lay-up and a crucial foul shot in the
waning seconds of the game. Amy Posocco ’04, got off a last second three that bounced off the rim as Amherst rebounded and held on to clinch the Little Three title. 

The Cardinals were led by Shaleen Bowman ’03 who scored 12 points, Ashley Elia ’04 with 11 points, and Kamica Lewis ‘02, who grabbed 11 rebounds and had 6 assists. 

The Cardinals’ season-long foul trouble caught up with them again as Amherst converted on 21 of 28 foul shot attempts. Down the stretch the game was decided by a few lay-ups.

"It came down to missing key lay-ups," said Elia, who drilled 3 of 3 from behind the arc. "We definitely had the opportunity to win, there were just a few lay-ups that if we had made, the
game would have been different." 

In general, the two teams matched up evenly in every statistical category. Both teams’ offenses warmed up in the second half after a defense-dominated first half. 

This was the second time this season the Cardinals lost to Amherst by only three points. 

"We just didn’t hang on," said Bowman, "They made some key shots, three 3-pointers [down the stretch]." 

"Every time we play, we play really close," said Allyson Miller ’02. 

Amherst has played in 9 games this season decided by 6 points or less. 

"It really hurts," Miller said. "You know you played your hearts out. [Amherst has] a lot of experience in close games."

The Cardinals came out cold in Saturday’s game against Trinity, another NESCAC foe, shooting 6-26 in the first half. Trinity’s 8-8 free throw shooting, combined with 11-27 from the field,
gave them a 32-15 lead at the half. 

Wesleyan battled back in the second half, playing stifling defense and hitting 13-26. Miller explained their strategy in breaking through the defense. 

"We pulled up our defense and started to run," Miller said. "[We wanted] to run them up the court and tire them out, which I think we did." 

After a fast-break capped by a Lewis lay-up, a steal by Wesleyan’s hard-working full-court press, and another lay-up, the lead was cut to two with just over five minutes to play at 49-47. 

Trinity called timeout and regrouped, and in the last five minutes made 9 of 12 free-throws. Again, foul trouble hurt the Cardinals down the stretch. Lewis led the team with a double-double, pouring in 13 points and 14 rebounds. 

"We came back, being down 17 points and finally getting it to two," Elia said. "It took too much energy. We just didn’t have it [at the end]." 

The Cardinals hope to improve their 2-5 NESCAC record this week with three games against conference teams. 

"We just need more experience, and the only way to get it is to play games," Miller said. "Hopefully in the near future we’ll win the tight games– it’s a product of experience." 

"We know we have talent," Bowman said, "we just have to pull it together to get the [win]." 

The Wesleyan women will face Williams at home on Tuesday and Bates and Tufts on the road this weekend.