The Justice

Media Credit: David Sheppard-Brick Forwards Cassidy Dadaos '09, left, and Amanda Wells '09, right, embrace after the Judges' second-round NCAA?Tournament victory last Saturday.

The significance of the women's basketball team's second-round victory over Mount Saint Mary College didn't register with captain forward Cassidy Dadaos '09 right away. It had escaped her mind even though she admitted she could not help but consider, prior to last weekend's games, that each season in her collegiate career had ended with a loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

But at this moment, with the Judges well on their way to a third-round NCAA Tournament appearance, Dadaos was still on the court while fellow seniors Lauren Orlando '09 and Amanda Wells '09 were on the bench. The whistle blew, and Dadaos was substituted out. As she jogged to the bench, she took a hug from coach Carol Simon and finally remembered that a big weight could be lifted from the team's shoulders.

"It didn't hit me until I realized [Simon] never hugs me after I come out," Dadaos joked.

Last Saturday's 79-52 win over Mount Saint Mary put the Judges in the third round for the first time in school history, but for Simon and the team's seniors, the monkey was larger than that. For the last three years, they were the living proof of the program's most successful period in its history, but they were also living proof of a squad that was unable to take that next step. Each year, they were good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but never good enough to become a serious contender for the Final Four. With their wins last weekend, this year's team has finally taken that next step.

"Usually, in this meeting, you see a lot of tears," Simon told reporters in the post-game press conference. "Now, you're seeing a lot of smiles."

Prior to the start of this season, it seemed this year's squad would take a step back rather than a step forward. Forward Jaime Capra '08, last year's University Athletic Association Player of the Year, graduated, leaving the Judges without a marquee star for the first time in six years. Like most years, the Judges raced through their New England non-conference competition undefeated, but after nine UAA games, the Judges were just 3-6 and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament altogether. Worse yet, starting point guard Lauren Rashford '10 suffered a season-ending knee injury, forcing the Judges to play without one of their key performers as they made a push towards the postseason.

Continued...

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