LEWISTON, Maine – The 2023-24 season for Widener women's basketball came to a conclusion on Saturday. They fell to the Bates College Bobcats 79-66 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.

The Pride finished with a 24-5 record on the season. They were 11-3 in MAC Commonwealth play. The 24 wins was tied for the most wins under Widener head coach Alisa Kintner.

OF NOTE
Kintner said this season will be remembered as an all-time great one.

"I define it as one of the best in school history," Kintner said. "Honestly, we came in as underdogs. We were 11-15 last year with nobody graduating and everybody back. So, to me, I think this gives credit to every player on this team for working out in the summer and getting hungry. And that's what they were: they were hungry, they were underdogs, and they answered."

BY THE NUMBERS

• Mia Robbins led the team with 26 points.
• Lia Samuels had another stellar defensive performance with four steals off the bench. She also had seven points and three rebounds.
• The Pride were 15 of 25 from the foul line (60%).

HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST BATES

• A Jordan D'Ambrosio layup started the night for the Pride. Widener got the early momentum, while the Bobcats earned points at the charity stripe. But, Bates found success with buckets in the paint, and they tried to build a lead. Kimberly Casiello's free throw was the last point in the first 10 minutes. Bates led 16-10 after one.
• Not too long into the second quarter, the Bobcats had a double-digit lead. Widener would cut the home team's advantage to five, thanks to a quick run by Gianna Samuels, which included an and-one. Bates would answer with their own and-one on the next possession. The Pride outscored the Bobcats in the second quarter, and Robbins made her presence known in the paint. After a pair of Robbins' free throws, the deficit was at one. Bates would go to the line once more, and the score was 35-32 at the half.
• The initial part of the third quarter was a bucket exchange. Both sides went back and forth with jumpers and layups before a Bates' triple turned the score into 44-37. Despite the advantage Bates had in offensive rebounds, Widener was within striking distance of the lead. Nearing the two-minute mark of the quarter, Lia Samuels had a 5-0 run of her own. She hit a layup, got a steal, and then hit the Pride's only triple of the night. More Bobcats' free throws ended the quarter, with the score at 55-48.
• Bates began to pull away at the start of the fourth quarter. Consecutive triples put the home team's lead back to double digits. Even with Bates' tough interior defense, the Pride kept attacking the paint and hitting shots. The Bobcats, though, did not let up on their attack, leading by as much as 14 in the quarter. Bates won 79-66.