After a week of games on the road, Springfield College women’s basketball returned to Alden Street on Saturday, Nov. 22 for a 4:30 p.m. tipoff against Hartford. The Pride battled through each quarter and climbed back from an early deficit, but could not come back to win. The 63–57 result comes as only their second loss this season.
Just one week ago, the team captured an impressive Chuck Resler tournament title in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, Nov. 15, as Claire Finney was awarded most valuable player. Her 20-piece performance boosted Springfield past SUNY Geneseo to clinch the championship.
Most recently, the Pride cruised past Albertus Magnus on Wednesday, Nov. 19 in a dominant 71-48 victory. Natalie Lucas recorded her second double-double of the season, with her 20 points and 11 rebounds aiding the win.
Entering Saturday’s matchup, Springfield carried significant momentum. However, playing a team they have never faced before proved to be more of a challenge than initially anticipated.
“We lost the game in the first quarter because we just weren’t ready. They punched us, and we didn’t respond… We didn’t finish some opportunities we needed to,” said Pride head coach Naomi Graves.
The first quarter saw a slow start from the Pride, with two and a half scoreless minutes until Amanda Leary broke through with a layup. Hartford jumped to an early 6-2 lead in the first and never looked back, wrapping up the opening frame ahead by 11 at the buzzer.
Heading into quarter two, Springfield had trouble establishing pace and pressure. The teams traded baskets while the Hawks maintained their double-digit lead throughout the second.
A handful of layups for Lucas added on to her six points from the first ten minutes. Heading into halftime, the Pride knew they needed to regroup and adjust to take back control of the game to overcome their point deficiency.
Finney was fired up heading back out after half, starting the quarter with a layup, assist and rebound before heading to the free throw line. Leary also pitched in with two shots in the paint. With more opportunities for looks and defensive stops, the scoreboard stood at 48-39 with just one quarter left to fight. It was a nine-point game, and Springfield was hungry for the win.
“We saw we could win if we kept going. There was a lot of time on the clock. I think we were more connected… I thought the five people played as one, more in the third and fourth,” said Graves. “I thought we fought our way back. We didn’t quit.”
Intensity rose as the seconds were winding down. A block by Ella Stair gave the Pride an extra chance early in the fourth quarter. Racing against the clock, they needed to capitalize on each possession.
As the team finally found their rhythm late in the game, so did their competitors. Hartford shot over 50% throughout the game, making the defensive job that much harder. With 56 seconds remaining in the game, Springfield was down by just five points, a two-possession game where a comeback seemed not only tangible but within reach as Springfield pushed their limits and played the final minutes with grit and determination.
Still, a handful of fouls and three timeouts later, the Pride couldn’t seem to find the shots they needed to win, despite their 10-2 run earlier in the fourth.
“We didn’t anticipate how they were going to come out. We started off really slow in the beginning, not playing our best defense,” said sophomore guard Madison Lopez. “Next time we need to start out stronger, hit our shots in the beginning and not wait until the second half.”
The Pride take the loss not as a setback, but as motivation to keep working on the court and find dominance early as they move forward in the schedule with a 4-2 record.
“I give my team credit for fighting hard because I thought they showed a lot of courage at the end,” said Graves.
Springfield will travel to Williams College for their next game on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m.