The Baldwin Wallace women’s basketball team played in the NCAA Division III playoffs from March 1-9, beating two teams before losing to the third in the sectional round.

The team pushed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, beating Trinity College 59-54 in the first round and SUNY New Paltz 65-42 in the second,

“The other team would make runs. And I think it was just our ability to handle those runs that really propelled us through the first two games,” said sophomore guard Kaycie Badylak.

Team members attributed their success to the team’s tight-knit connection.

“What really propelled us to win both of those games were both our hard work and our love for each other and just competing for one another,” Vaillant said.

Vaillant said some of her favorite memories are being in the hotel, hanging out and playing cards as a team.

Badylak said these memories built connections and brought the team closer together, translating into a connection on the court.

Nevertheless, BW would lose 78-48 against Bowdoin College.

The Women’s Basketball Head Coach Cheri Harrer attributed this loss to a difficult start.

“We just dug ourselves a hole early,” Harrer said. “We just didn’t play our best, and when you get in the NCAA tournament, you don’t have room for that.”

Throughout the regular season, the team won 16 of their 18 conference games, but junior forward Bella Vaillant said the team did not even expect to make it to the NCAA tournament after losing to No. 4 Ohio Northern University in the Ohio Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals.

“We knew there was a chance, but it wasn’t a for sure bet,” Vaillant said. “So, being able to compete in the NCAA tournament, especially on that stage, felt like a second chance at life for us.”

Sophomore student coach Tavyn Likosky said they headed into the NCAA tournament with a self-motivated mentality.

“We were not the favorites in either one of the first two games, and so we were like, alright, no one believes in us except for us, so let’s go prove everyone wrong,” Likosky said.

Looking forward to the next season, teammates Vaillant and Badylak said that without the seniors, they need to fill the role of building a connection between the team members to continue to succeed.

“The seniors may not have had as much production on the court as past years, but they did a very good job of being, helping with the team’s culture and bringing the team closer together,” Likosky said. “I think that’s the part that will be the hardest to replace.”