The Institute of Notre Dame squeaked by Bryn Mawr 38-35 on Wednesday. On an evening when Taylor Jones, Morgan Rigsby and Julia Horn were honored before tip-off as the Penguins' three seniors, the good vibes continued into the night with a narrow three point win.
"At the end we came up with some clutch shots," said IND head coach Jerry Hahn. "We had some clutch free-throw shooting from our point guard."
IND's point guard is Kayla Kelly. The junior led the team in scoring with 16 points, and she finished the game off with three clutch free throws with just seconds remaining on the clock.
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"I was nervous but I was confident," Kelly said of her late free throws attempts. "I think the key was playing as a team. We had a lead at half, and we came together as a team to win the game."
Hahn singled out Kelly as his team's top performer of the evening.
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"She really hustled all out today," Hahn said. "I think that was one of her better games. She is a junior working hard, and that's the name of the game right there."
On the other side, Bryn Mawr head coach Mimi Walters was disappointed with her team's effort at the line and late in the game.
"We didn't convert on our free throws," Walters said. "We had lots of three throw opportunities and we also just didn't knock down threes. We had a lead late in the game and we gave up a couple of layups late, which just kills you."
Walters was gracious toward her opponent, even in defeat.
"I give a lot of credit to them," Walters said. "They hung in there and played with heart."
Playoff time is right around the corner for these two teams. Hahn is looking forward to playing the role of the underdog.
"Well, it's tournament time," Hahn said. "We're just going to try to put together a good game. There is no pressure on us. We're just trying to go out and have fun and see what happens."