The Elizabethtown College women’s basketball team took their talents into the playoffs before spring break after they had cemented themselves as the #3 seed in the tournament. The Blue Jays made a strong run to round out their season, defeating the former #2 seeded Catholic University in a tight home victory a week prior. After Catholic lost to the #1 seed in Scranton University, the Blue Jays were bumped into the three seed, taking on the #6 seeded Drew University at Thompson Gym.
The crowd packed into the stands with fans from Etown’s men’s volleyball team, baseball team and various members of the softball and women’s soccer teams. This game was the third matchup between the two sides. The previous matchup a few weeks prior, the Rangers had taken the Blue Jays into overtime after Etown had climbed back from a double-digit deficit. The head official threw the ball into the air and the game tipped off on Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays flipped what they had done in the previous matchup, jumping out to a seven point lead after senior forward Ellie Fasick contributed eight points early on in the contest. Senior guard Makenna Mummert continued her strong scoring performances from the regular season, adding seven points. The Ranger offense and defense began to kick into another gear, eliminating the six point deficit and taking a late lead in the second quarter. The Blue Jays had their offense slowed almost to a halt as Drew held the team to only six points in the quarter.
Etown was able to jumpstart their offense as the Blue Jays added 18 points in the third quarter, however, Drew was able to keep pace, holding a four point lead heading into the final ten minutes of regulation. Etown pulled back, taking a late lead in the fourth, but a late three by the Rangers gave the Blue Jays a three-point deficit with only 46 seconds to go.
Drew missed back to back free throws and senior guard Ella Gordon scored her first points of the game in clutch time as her three flew through the nylon tying the game at 64. The Blue Jays got out of the gates early in overtime and didn’t look back as the Blue Jays had defeated the Rangers 80-72.
Mummert led the Blue Jays with 23 points followed by senior forward Allyia Kennedy with 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Fasick added 12 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Cadence Anderson contributed eight points.
The Blue Jays carried this momentum into their road matchup against #2 Susquehanna University. The last time the Blue Jays were in Selinsgrove, the River Hawks were able to take care of business, defeating Etown by 13. Despite receiving votes in the top 25 poll, the Blue Jays were unfazed by their initial efforts to start the game, holding a five-point lead halfway through the first quarter.
Susquehanna crawled back into the game, bringing the Etown lead within one to end the quarter with key free-throw shots. With Mummert’s three-point basket with 1:26 left in the second quarter, the senior guard became the 33rd player in the women’s basketball program history to reach the 1000 point mark. After Mummert sank her two free throws as time expired, eclipsing the millennium mark, Etown entered the halftime break with a two point lead.
Despite the Susquehanna efforts to give themselves a lead out of the half, the Blue Jays pulled together an 8-2 run to give themselves the lead again. Etown was able to hold onto the lead into the fourth, extending the margin to seven, and upset the River Hawks with a final score of 68-61. Mummert was the star of the show once more, contributing 20 points and five assists in the win. Gordon shot the lights out, cashing in on four of her six three point attempts in her 16 point performance. Kennedy added 14 points onto the Blue Jay total and Anderson contributed nine points and eight rebounds.
In the Landmark Conference Championship, the Blue Jays took on the #2 ranked team in the nation in the Scranton Royals. The Blue Jays were on the road at Scranton for the second time this season, losing both of their matchups prior to the title fight. Etown gave the Royals a run for their money earlier in the year, holding the 13-time conference champion to only 59 points, their lowest total of the season. After the starters were announced and the stage had been set, there was only 40 minutes between the teams and the coveted Landmark Conference title which included an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Scranton started the contest similarly to their recent matchup against the Blue Jays, sparking an early lead within the first two minutes, however, the Blue Jays held it close as the deficit was reduced to two. Despite the two battling through the quarter, the Royals held a nine-point lead after the first ten minutes of action.
Etown had difficulty finding shots to fall in the second quarter, with Scranton extending their lead into double digits as the Blue Jays scored a mere seven points compared to the 15 points scored by the Royals. Etown tried to find opportunities to climb back into the game, however, the mountain of a lead held by Scranton could not be conquered as the Royals lifted their 14th Landmark Championship after defeating Etown 82-42.
Mummert contributed 15 points in her final game as a Blue Jay paired with a double-double by Kennedy, who posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in her final game. Sophomore guard Alex Gonzalez added six points off the bench as she attempted to spark the offense in the second quarter. The Blue Jays’ strong 2025-26 season comes to a close as Coach Nolt’s 12th season ends with the program’s 1200 win, her 200th win, and a 20-8 record in the span of two weeks.
The Blue Jays will gear up for next season, hoping for another shot at the Landmark Conference title with games starting in November 2026.
