As the Elizabethtown College women’s basketball team finished the season with a record of 22-4, the Blue Jays went dancing in the NCAA Division III tournament with a playoff berth, looking for a chance at a title after missing the playoffs last season.
In their first round matchup, the Blue Jays faced off against SUNY Brockport. The Eagles came into the game after a strong season in the Empire Eight Conference, finishing first overall in the standings, however, falling short of the title after a close-fought battle against SUNY Geneseo, losing by three in the championship. Etown was coming off a semi-final loss to #15 Catholic University, who eventually lost to #2 Scranton University in the final.
The Blue Jays started strong, with senior guard Summer McNulty leading the charge with six points in the first five minutes of the game, giving Etown an early 11-point lead. The Eagles battled back, putting together a 6-2 run in the final minute of the first quarter to narrow the lead within seven at the break. SUNY Brockport continued the momentum into the second quarter, led by senior guard Shannon Blankenship with four straight points, clawing back to within two points. Etown maintained steady, as senior forward DaniRae Renno and McNulty led the team with a combined 18 points in the first half while Renno grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half alone. Junior guard Makenna Mummert cashed in with a layup in the final seconds of the second quarter to give Etown a four-point advantage heading into the second half.
The Blue Jays got back to a hot start after the break, as Renno added eight points in the first three minutes of the third quarter, complimenting the 17-6 run in the beginning of the half. Etown poured on the points in the third, putting together a 30-point quarter as McNulty added two three pointers and a 12-point quarter to give the Blue Jays a 13-point advantage heading into the final ten minutes of play. Etown didn’t let off the gas in the fourth, taking the double-digit lead and increasing it to 31 points as the team put together 28 points en route to their second Division III championship victory since 2001 with a score of 99-67.
“Offensively, I think we got a little bit more settled. We caught our breath, recognized where the options and the holes were in their defense. We responded and kind of kept chipping away until we felt a surge [of scoring] coming,” Etown coach Veronica Nolt said.
Nolt commented on the 48% shooting from the team from three along with the 26 team assists, attributing them to the main keys towards the big victory. McNulty led the team with 22 points on the night, finishing the game with 9-15 shooting and eight rebounds. Renno tacked on a double-double with a 21-point, 14-rebound performance. Off the bench, graduate guard Cyleigh Wilson added 14 points on 4-8 shooting from three and graduate forward Grace O’Conner added ten points for the Blue Jays.
Coach Nolt was happy with the result by the team, commenting in the press conference, “I’m incredibly proud of the performance that the girls put on, particularly in the second half. I felt like they were really efficient offensively, crashed the boards, penetrated the seams, and found nice opportunities for players inside.”
The Blue Jays in the next round faced #14 ranked Randolph-Macon from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, who came into the game at an impressive 28-1. The Blue Jays kept the game extremely close at the end of the first half, with the Yellow Jackets leading by only three. Randolph-Macon gained a big lead at the end of the third after limiting Etown to only six points in the quarter. The Blue Jays attempted to make a late comeback in the fourth, however, there wasn’t enough time as the Yellow Jackets bested Etown 62-56 as they moved on to the third round. The Blue Jays were led by their bench, as junior forward Allyia Kennedy led the team with 15 points followed by Wilson who added on 11 points. Etown’s starters combined for a mere 16 points as the Yellow Jackets hounded the team with their defense. Etown has been eliminated from the tournament and will play their next basketball game in the 2025-26 season starting in November.
