By Kyla Guilfoil, Managing Editor and Sports Editor

The Jaspers fell to top seed Iona in the championship game of the MAAC with a final score of 73-60. This was the squad’s second consecutive championship loss. 

The No. 6 Jaspers made MAAC history as the lowest-seeded team to make it to the women’s championship game. The team has had a difficult season, finishing their regular season with a 13-16 record overall, and a 10-10 record in the MAAC. 

However, the team rallied and came to the tournament with a hunger for the championship trophy and made it to the tournament’s final game. 

“I just need to give so much credit to my team,” head coach Heather Vulin said after the game. “For us to be the first sixth seed to make the Championship Game and to be a team that made the Championship Game as the third seed last year shows we have this program heading in the right direction.”

The championship loss brings particular disappointment to the upperclassmen who lost to Fairfield in the MAAC championship last year. In the wake of the loss, seasoned Jasper players Dee Dee Davis and Emily Lapointe have announced that they will enter the transfer portal for next season. 

The Quadrangle has not yet received comments from Lapointe or Davis about their decision to enter the portal. 

The team started off the championship game strong, finishing the first quarter with a slight lead of 15-13. As the end of the second quarter drew near, Iona’s squad kicked into overdrive. The teams left the court at halftime with a score of 25-27. 

Coming into the third quarter, the Gaels took control of the game. Within the quarter, Iona outscored Manhattan 30-13, leaving the third with a final score of 57-38. 

It was clear the Jaspers started to lose their adrenaline, and defeat began to take over the squad. 

The final quarter was dominated by the Gaels, with fifth-year Juana Camilion knocking down basket after basket. 

Harvey-Carr did knock in a three-pointer to give the Jaspers a little push, but it wasn’t enough to catch up. The game ended with the Gaels running to half-court, celebrating a MAAC championship title. 

Despite the loss, the Jaspers did have some impressive performances. According to GoJaspers, Helena Galunic turned in a double-figure performance for the first time since Nov. 19 against Howard. Galunic provided 10 points on 3-4 shooting. Bella Nascimento (10), Davis (11) and Harvey-Carr (12) also hit double figures. 

Both Harvey-Carr and Petra Juric also earned spots on the All-Tournament Team for their contributions throughout the competition. 

In a post-game press conference, Vulin said she saw a shift in the third quarter. 

“Yeah, I was concerned, I felt like the first half, you know, our adrenaline would kind of get us through, but obviously four games in five days, I really felt we did a lot of things uncharacteristic, unfortunately, in that third quarter, in terms of our communication and our switches and what our defensive game plan was,” Vulin said.  “We just weren’t moving the same way that we normally move, but also, you gotta give credit to Iona, they made shots and that’s been one of their strengths all year, and they were able to really ride on that. You gotta give them credit for that.” 

At the same press conference, Davis agreed with Vulin that Iona was able to take advantage of miscommunication among the Jaspers. 

“Iona definitely capitalized off of our miscommunications or our mistakes, and I think that’s what you have to do if you’re going to be competing for the championship,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, we had too many lapses to come back… the third quarter was really their time to shine.” 

Nascimento said that despite the lapses, the team gave the last game everything they had. 

“We just wanted to come out here fighting, give it all that we got,” Nascimento said at the press conference. “It’s a championship game, [you have to] leave it on the floor. We can’t leave a single ounce of ‘oh, I should have done this. I should have done that.’ So we just wanted to fight.” 

Davis said that this season has been one filled with adversity, but that the team succeeded in fighting to get to the championship game, despite the final loss. 

“We’ve definitely been frustrated a number of times this year, but we’re here, we made it to this game, and so that’s a true testament of what we can accomplish throughout all the ups and downs,” Davis said.  “[The loss is] unfortunate but that’s basketball, and even bigger than that, that’s life. Things can go sideways, things can go up and down. Everything is ebb and flow.” 

Vulin said she was very disappointed by the loss, but that she believes the program is going in the right direction. Davis echoed that statement but has now announced that she will not be joining the Jaspers for the 2023-2024 season. 

For now, the Jaspers have returned to Riverdale to evaluate the season and begin planning for their next run.