SALEM, Va. - The No. 5 Guilford College women's basketball team entered their afternoon quarterfinals ODAC Championship matchup at the Salem Civic Center against No.4 Bridgewater College in a nail-biting contest which took the teams into a double-overtime battle. But, in the end, the Quakers fell short by a seven point margin, 86-79.
Unfortunately, the season for the Quakers concludes due to the results of this game. Bridgewater will advance to the semi-finals where they will take on No.1 Washington & Lee University.
Guilford shot 35.1% three-point percentage as opposed to Bridgewater's 21.4%. That being said, the Eagles' field goal and free throw percentage slightly surpassed that of the Quakers, with their success in the interior, outscoring GC 52-24 in the point, being crucial towards the end of the contest.
Zoe Bayer (Les Sables d'Olonne, France) brought the heat for her team, leading in scoring with 21, shooting 8-of-17 from the field, and 5-for-nine from three.
Anna Giannopoulou (Athens, Greece) led with nine rebounds, five steals, four assists, and 6-of-10 free throws.
For the Eagles, Jaden Alsberry led with an impressive 26 rebounds followed by Abby Freeman with 11. Additionally, both of these players achieved 8-for-17 in their field goal attempts with the latter leading BC in scoring with 20.
The contest began with the first four points going to the Eagles. Not long after, Bayer put the Quakers on the board, scoring back-to-back baskets from beyond the arc. Guilford ended the first with a three-point advantage. After the second quarter, this margin was narrowed to a two-point lead, going into the locker rooms.
The third period was deemed to be a fight that ended with no reward. Energy was spent by both squads, tying at 18 and leaving the Quakers to still lead by two, from their first stanza advantage.
Where things got dicey was in the fourth quarter. Three-pointers by Bayer and Ashtyn Zeigler (Mooresville, N.C.) helped the Quakers stay in line with their competitors. With just 0:12 seconds left on the clock, Giannopoulou made two free throws, giving the Quakers deja vu of their first quarter lead. GC thinking they may have just won the contest ended as BC's Rosemary Pierson made a three-pointer with just three seconds remaining. This tied the game at 64, sending the squads into overtime.
Tensions were high as overtime began, but points were scarce on the court, neither making a double-digit score. At the 0:45 mark, the Quakers were down by six. GC struck with three-pointers by Courtney McMillan (Lexington, N.C.) and Bayer at 0:25 and 0:08, respectively. Tying 8-8, and 72-72 overall, the squads were going into yet another overtime period.
Now, what started as a physical game had slowly become a mental challenge for both squads. Having already played 45 minutes, five minutes more was the difference between advancing and going home. In similar fashion to a few prior quarters, the Eagles opened with a 4-0 run. At one moment, GC was seven-points behind their opponent, but with 0:35 left on the clock, McMillan made a basket from beyond the arc, now making their gap just four. This time, the Quakers were unable to make a comeback as the Eagles tallied up three more free-throws, expanding the margin back to seven as the buzzer sounded, 86-79.
With the defeat, the Quakers head into the offseason and set their eyes on the 2024-25 season.
