A year ago, Chestnut Hill College faced the women of Jefferson University in the basketball championship game of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Jefferson won that title bout, 61-39, but at the 2025 tournament last weekend neither the Lady Rams nor the CHC Griffins were able to celebrate after the final contest.

The semifinals and finals were played at Jefferson, and in Sunday's championship contest the host Lady Rams lost to the Tigers of Holy Family University, 77-68. Holy Family had led the CACC's South Division for most of the season, but lost its regular-season finale to Jefferson, 75-64, making the Lady Rams the South's top seed for the CACC tourney, while HFU was second.

CACC South member Chestnut Hill ended its season in last Tuesday's CACC quarterfinal round. Seeded third, the Griffins traveled to New Jersey to play the North's second-seeded, Caldwell University. Chestnut Hill led 17-15 after the first 10 minutes but was behind 49-35 by the three-quarter mark and ultimately lost, 61-51.

Senior guard/forward Bri Rider led CHC with 14 points, sophomore guard Bridie McCann posted 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and freshman forward Tiayo Adelekan scored 10 points.

Finishing 16-13 overall, Chestnut Hill had a rocky season. In early February, the Griffins won back-to-back games against the leaders in the CACC North and South, but they'd also lost to less distinguished rivals.

In other quarterfinal games last Tuesday, Jefferson won 75-57 over North number four Felician University as senior center Cassie Murphy recorded a career-high 32 points. Holy Family beat North number three Post University, 71-45.

Last year's CACC Player of the Year, current Jefferson senior Sam Yencha, was injured very early in the 2024-25 campaign and only returned to action in mid-February.

On Saturday Holy Family took down the top seed from the North, Dominican University. The Tigers led by 11 points late in the third quarter, but then had to survive a heart-pounding rally by the Chargers before winning, 58-56.    

In the second semifinal, Jefferson led by four points at the quarter, but the Caldwell Cougars quickly recovered. The teams were tied at 26-all before Jefferson freshman Gabby Recinto went coast-to-coast off of a steal, making it 28-26 at the half.

Yencha scored two early baskets in the third quarter, but three minutes in, the scoreboard was even again at 33-33. Murphy had committed her third personal foul and was put on the bench.

Scoring inside and outside, and from the foul line, the visitors put up seven unanswered points for a 40-33 advantage with four minutes left. However, the Cougars now faced foul trouble of their own as Jefferson got into the bonus. Senior Kaya Burkhart started a revival with a short jumper, then she, Kuczynski and Spratt combined to go eight-for-eight from the charity stripe.

At the end of the quarter, a trey by the Cougars created a 45-45 tie. Murphy was back on the court for the final period. With more than three minutes gone, the hosts had a 50-49 edge, then they quickly opened things up with a 7-0 surge. Here, a transition basket and a putback by Murphy were sandwiched around a three-pointer by Kuczynski, who kept on providing assists to her post players.

It was 60-54 with half-a-minute remaining, and Spratt completed the scoring by going three-for-four at the foul line, making her seven-for-eight in the last 10 minutes of the contest. She finished with 13 points, one behind Kuczynski, while Murphy and Yencha each scored 10. Caldwell culled 15 points apiece from guard Jah'Nel Lewis and forward Lucy Coogan.

On Sunday, two Spratt field goals kept Jefferson even at 4-4, then buckets by Carolyn Prevost and Jessica Riepe moved Holy Family ahead for good. It was still a four-point game at 17-13, then the Tigers got back-to-back treys by Riepe and Kara Meredith. A late drive by Jefferson point guard Tori Nigro ended the quarter at 23-15.

Early in round two, two field goals and two free throws by Murphy and three-pointers by Spratt and Kuczynski got the Lady Rams back within a single point at 28-27, but then they let the Tigers get off on a 10-0 tear. Down nine points at the half, Jefferson tied it up at 48-all with a little over three minutes left, but after that the Rams rarely scored more than three points in a row. Five points is as close as they got in the fourth quarter, then HFU expanded the final margin to nine.

Murphy led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and was followed on the stat sheet by Kuczynski (12 points, six assists), Spratt (10 points) and Yencha (eight points, eight rebounds).

A double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) helped Holy Family junior Taylor Hinkle earn the title of tournament MVP.