Lewiston, ME---Despite leaving everything out the court on Friday night, the Brooklyn College women's basketball team closed out their season, falling to NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament opening round host, Bates College, 66-51.  Winning their fourth straight CUNYAC Championship to earn an automatic bid to the 'Tourney', BC ends the 2023-24 campaign with an 18-9 overall record (12-2 CUNYAC).  Bates improves to 23-5 with the win and will take on Widener in the Second Round of the tournament on Saturday.  

NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND BROADCAST

"I am so proud of this team and the way we played," first-year BC Head Coach, Megan Campell, commented during the post-game press conference. "We left everything we had on the floor and gave one of the best teams in the country a game.  I couldn't ask for anything more."

Trailing the Bobcats,17-5, by the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs' toughness was on display in front of the 700+ fans that packed Bates' Alumni Gymnasium, as Brooklyn clawed their back into the contest thanks to a 9-0 run highlighted by five straight points scored by senior guard, Ericka James, to cut Bates' lead to 19-18 with 4:14 to go in the first half.  James would finish with nine points and four rebounds in the final game of her BC career.  

"We fed off of the crowd's energy, especially in that second quarter," James would comment.  "Our program's culture revolves around pressure defense and that's how we were able to get back in the game."

Brooklyn would hang with the home team the rest of the way.  Trailing 46-39 with under a minute to play in the third quarter and looking like Bates would pull away, Brooklyn senior forward, Sarah James, knocked down a three, cutting the Bobcats' lead down to four points heading into the fourth quarter and giving BC a chance at an upset.  However, Bates opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to push their lead back up to double-figures with 8:16 remaining in regulation.  Brooklyn refused to go away, cutting the Bobcats' lead to 58-51 with 2:14 to play following a made lay-up finished by sophomore guard, Dior Dorsey, before the host school sealed the game with an 8-0 run.  Dorsey wound up with nine points for the game. 

Bates' Elsa Daulerio and Morgan Kennedy scored 20 points each.  Daulerio also grabbed a game-high 20 boards on the evening. 

Earning CUNYAC Championship MVP honors a week ago, senior guard, Alina Estrella, paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 11 points, scoring the first five points of the game for BC, and came up with a game-high four steals.  

"Coming to a new program in my final year, this season has meant everything to me," Estrella would comment.  "Everyone was super welcoming and I couldn't be happier that everything came full-circle and I was able to win a conference championship with my high school teammates, [Ericka and Sarah James]."