By Tyler Morello
Staff Writer
The College’s women's basketball team’s exceptional season came to an end on March 6 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 11 John Carroll University came out on top 84-49 and advanced to the next round to match up with No. 21 SUNY New Paltz.
The Lions were coming in hot off their New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and winning nine of their last 10 games. However, this was an extremely impressive Blue Streaks squad that only suffered four defeats the entire regular season.
John Carroll got out to a quick 11-0 start within the game's first three minutes before junior forward Riley Ahrens got the Lions on the board with a lay-in.
The College later found themselves down 18-4 late in the first quarter but were able to cut the deficit to ten heading into the second frame.
Their deficit would not diminish, however, as the Blue Streaks remained in control the rest of the way shooting 55% from the field and over 42% from beyond the arc through the final three quarters.
Senior wing Katie Fricker led the College in scoring with 13 points while snagging five boards in her final game as a Lion. Ahrens followed with 12 off the bench while sophomore guard Amanda Baylock chipped in with eight.
Baylock commanded the Lions offense throughout the year after showing flashes as a freshman in the 2024-25 season, as she went from 5.3 points and 1.5 assists per game to 13.9 points and 2.9 assists.
Coming into the season, the Lions featured many key returners along with Baylock, including Fricker, senior Myah Hourigan-Hutton, junior Grace Kowalski and sophomore Brooke McFadden, which put the team atop the preseason polls of the conference.
Despite the high expectations, it was not an easy path to the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship. The Lions were winless in their first six games mainly due to a gauntlet of a schedule, including games against No. 11 Trinity and No. 20 Christopher Newport.
“Our tough schedule that we had to face throughout the season made us prepared for the playoffs and especially the NJAC Championship,” Baylock said about the team’s success down the stretch.
“Our team really stuck together at the right time,” Baylock added. “We were playing team basketball and we all were on the same page and playing for one another.”
The Lions have a chance to be special once again next season. Fricker, Hourigan-Hutton, and Olivia Magee highlight their seniors moving on, but the rest of the group are projected to be returning underclassmen.
“We will miss the presence and leadership of our seniors but we’re going to take what they gave us and use it for next year,” Baylock raved about her teammates.
“We already have a lot of experience under our belts and we can take what we learned this season and carry it over to next season.”
Expect the College to be near the top of the preseason rankings for the 2025-26 season, if not at the very top.
