Another split week leaves the Dickinson Women’s Basketball team, at the time of printing, barely clinging to postseason hopes, as the Red Devils followed up a blowout loss at Muhlenberg on Wednesday, Feb. 6, with a big win over Bryn Mawr on Saturday, Feb. 9. The win kept the Devils in the playoff picture for the moment, as they now close out their season with two must-win games, needing a little luck in the process to seize the final playoff spot. Dickinson has not won a conference championship in women’s basketball since 1994.
The Red Devils were left with their backs against the wall after suffering their worst loss of the season, 82-52, at the hands of the Mules on Feb. 6. Thus, the Red Devils welcomed the Owls to the Kline Center on Saturday, Feb. 9 for a game that meant the world to Devils, who needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt. That Saturday, the team also honored and recognized its dedicated seniors: Dana Walsh, Bridget Borgese, Belma Mekic, Lindsay Finnerty and Kelsey Barclay. All five players have impacted the Dickinson program in their own way, leading a team that had gone 13-36 over the past two seasons to the brink of the playoffs.
Those seniors led the way in a dominating 61-37 win over the Owls, controlling the game from start to finish. Fittingly, Dickinson’s seniors accounted for the first 15 points the Red Devils scored, as the home team jumped out to a 15-7 lead. The shots continued to fall, as Dickinson had the game wrapped up by halftime, heading into the break with a 41-20 lead.
Though it was Senior Day, the victory also gave a glimpse into what the future holds for the Red Devils. Throughout the game Coach Dina Henry was able to get the sophomores and first-years in for some valuable playing time. However, this day did ultimately belong to the seniors. With 3:30 to play in the second half all five seniors took the court together before leaving to a standing ovation by not only their teammates but by the whole Kline Center. After the game Walsh said, “Our win against Bryn Mawr was a great way to lead us into this upcoming week. Everyone got to contribute to the win and celebrate a great senior day!” Mekic scored a game-high 15 points while Walsh added 14 and two blocked shots. Finnerty dropped ten and added four steals on the defensive side.
The win moved the Red Devils to 13-9 overall and 9-9 in the conference. At press time, the team sits in sixth place, two games behind Haverford for the final playoff spot. Walsh went on to to say, “As for the next two games, these will be the biggest games of our season. We are all excited and looking forward to them because we know they are both winnable games that we need to secure the 5th-seed playoff spot!” The Red Devils will wrap up their season on Saturday, Feb. 16, at F&M at 1 p.m.