MEDFORD, MA – 7^th seeded Wesleyan women's basketball nearly pulled off the upset over 2^nd seeded Tufts in the NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinals Sunday afternoon in Medford, Massachusetts. The Cardinals and Jumbos went back and forth for the full 40 minutes, with neither team pulling away by more than six points. Tufts would make both of their free throws in the final seconds to stretch their lead back to three. Coach Mullen would call a timeout and set up a play for Caleigh Ryan '22, who got a decent look at the buzzer however the shot rimmed out and Tufts escaped with a three-point quarterfinal victory.

Wesleyan ends their year 12-13, reaching the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament for the 4^th straight season (no season in 2020-21). Tufts wins and advances to the NESCAC Semifinals where they will host 3^rd seeded Amherst to try to advance to the NESCAC Championship.

Wesleyan was led by two seniors in what could be their final games wearing a Cardinals uniform. Caleigh Ryan was a force again pouring in 23 points on 8-17 shooting (5-9 3PT), to go along with her six rebounds and valiant effort on defense. Maddie Clark '22 chipped in 15 points (5-13 FG), three assists, and three rebounds. Fellow senior Marina Petruzzi '22 also contributed with a career-high nine rebounds.

The story of the game was the battle between the two stars from each side who seemed to matchup throughout the contest in Maggie Russell and the aforementioned Caleigh Ryan. The two top six scorers in the conference did not disappoint, combining for 45 total points while guarding each other at times throughout the game. Russell finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Ryan finishes her senior season with a career total of 962 points and 572 rebounds in three seasons.

The two teams felt each other out in the 1^st quarter in a seesaw battle that ended in the Jumbos gaining a three-point advantage. Brooke Guiffre '23 started out hot with two early triples that gave Wesleyan a five-point lead before Tufts came storming back to end the 1^st. The 2^nd quarter was more of the same, as both teams didn't allow the other to go up by more than two possessions. Tufts hung onto a 33-31 lead going into the break.

It was a defensive battle throughout the 40 minutes, however the 3^rd quarter was an offensive struggle for both sides. They combined for 21 points on seven field goals coming out of the halftime break, as the score sat at 44-41 Tufts entering the final 10 minutes of play.

Caleigh Ryan opened up the 4^th with a pullup midrange jumper to cut the deficit to one on Wesleyan's opening possession. Tufts persistence on the offensive glass made it difficult for Wesleyan to make a run in the final period. Sofia Rosa grabbed one of the Jumbos 18 offensive rebounds and converted on the putback to extend Tufts lead back to five with 4:24 remaining. Every time the Jumbos tried to pull away however, Ryan had an answer. She nailed her 5^th three of the game to trim the deficit back to two.

The teams would trade misses after Tufts two free throws to give the Cardinals the ball back with just over a minute and a half left down by four. Marina Petruzzi came off a pick and pulled from the top of the key, banking in a three-pointer to cut the Tufts advantage back down to one. After a Maddie Clark missed three and some Tufts free throws, Wesleyan had one more shot to tie the game down three. Ryan would set a screen for Clark before receiving a screen of her own and getting the ball from Clark. Ryan took a dribble and got up what would have been the game-tying three at the buzzer, but it rimmed out giving Tufts the 58-55 quarterfinal win.