Summer McNulty led No. 22 Elizabethtown into the upcoming Landmark Conference tournament on a high note. Elizabethtown athletics photo

Elizabethtown finished the regular season by upsetting Scranton while Colby and Trinity (Conn.) opened their postseason with double-overtime victories. Elsewhere, two programs played their final games in a full day of Division III women’s basketball action.

• Saturday scoreboard: Men | Women
• Men's conference tournament tracker
• Women's conference tournament tracker
• More men’s headlines
• More women’s headlines

No. 22 Elizabethtown took a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter and then held off No. 2 Scranton, 70-64, spoiling the Lady Royals’ bid for an undefeated regular season.

After the teams battled to a 32-all halftime score, Elizabethtown took control by scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter, mostly from the foul line. Ella Gordon’s three-pointer pushed the Blue Jays’ lead to 12 points in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but Scranton fought back within three points on Kaci Kranson’s free throws with 46 seconds left. Gordon thwarted the comeback by stealing the ball on Scranton’s next possession and Etown got game-sealing free throws from Makenna Mummert and Jess King.

Summer McNulty led Elizabethtown (22-3, 16-2 Landmark) with 24 points and Allyia Kennedy added 15 off the bench for the Blue Jays, who had a 24-11 reserve scoring advantage. Kranson led Scranton (24-1, 17-1 Landmark) with 21 points. Elizabethtown will be the second seed in the Landmark Conference playoffs behind Scranton and in front of No. 15 Catholic which defeated Lycoming, 77-64.

Asked how Saturday’s win could change her team’s approach to the conference playoffs, Elizabethtown head coach Veronia Holt emphasized the importance of staying focused, even though the Blue Jays are likely a lock for an NCAA Tournament bid.

“We have to stay focused on the Landmark Conference because there is so much parity throughout the league…I think there's just a lock-in focus and recognizing what a special team that we have and an opportunity that we have and just enjoy our time together here.”

The NESCAC tournament opened with a pair of double overtime wins and an Amherst victory that bolsters the Mammoths’ NCAA Tournament resume.

Colby got 100 points from its starters and needed them all to knock off Middlebury, 100-97, in double overtime. Playing as the two seed at home, the Mules staved off elimination when Ana Von Rumohr hit a game-tying three pointer with 30 seconds left in regulation. The Panthers took a 97-92 lead midway through the second overtime, but Colby shut out Middlebury the rest of the way and took the lead on Amelia Hanscom’s layup with 26 seconds left.

All five starters scored double figures for Colby (14-10), led by Kate Olenik who had 29 points in a full 50 minutes. Middlebury All-American Alexa Mustafaj capped her stellar career with 34 points, and Augusta Dixon racked up 17 points and 25 rebounds for the Panthers (15-10).

Trinity (Conn.) used two dramatic finishes to force double overtime and then eventually topped Tufts, 72-64, in a meeting between two teams that are currently in good position to make the NCAA tournament. After Tufts took a 46-39 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Bantams outscored the Jumbos 9-2 and tied the game on Hannah Marzo’s free throws with 51 seconds left in regulation. The Jumbos had another late lead in the first overtime until Trinity sophomore Olivia Vick drilled a game-tying three at the buzzer. The Bantams then gained control in double overtime on back-to-back layups by Madi Forman.

Vick tallied 21 points and went 10-for-10 from the foul line for Trinity (18-7), which will meet Colby in the NESCAC semifinals next weekend. Tufts (15-10) entered the day in good position to receive one of the 21 at-large bids.

The NESCAC could send as many as five teams to the Tournament, and Amherst improved its chances of being one of them with a 61-51 win over Bates. The Mammoths outscored the Bobcats 19-7 in the fourth quarter, as Annie McCarthy scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in that period. Amherst (19-6) will face No. 3 Bowdoin which cruised past Williams, 71-46, and will host the remaining games next weekend.

No. 17 UW-Stout's roller coaster season is trending up again after the Blue Devils dropped No. 7 UW-Oshkosh, 72-63, in their regular season finale. All-American Raegan Sorenson poured in 24 points in 26 minutes for Stout (19-6, 10-4 WIAC) which had lost three of its prior six games. The Blue Devils shot 53 percent from the field and had 17 assists on 26 made shots.

For the second consecutive year, the top spot in the Centennial Conference tournament will be determined by a coin flip because No. 12 Gettysburg and No. 16 Johns Hopkins finished the regular season tied in the standings with no decisive tiebreaker. After Gettysburg rolled over Bryn Mawr 84-42, Johns Hopkins forged the tie with a 68-45 win at home over Dickinson.

The NAC played down to its finalists without much drama as Maine Maritime and SUNY Cobleskill rolled through the conference semifinals.

Maine Maritime led from start-to-finish, including a 30-point halftime advantage, in an 88-59 rout of rival Husson. Erianna Moore scored a season-high 32 points on 13-for-18 shooting, and the Mariners went 7-for-10 from three. They will travel next Saturday to SUNY Cobleskill since the Fighting Tigers crushed Lesley 104-41 in the West Division final. Maine Maritime beat SUNY Cobleskill 61-57 in the teams' lone regular season matchup.

In other conference tournament action...

• The first round of the CUNYAC tournament was for the dogs, but not the underdogs. Higher seeds Brooklyn and John Jay advanced to the semifinals, with the Bulldogs comfortably beating Medgar Evers, 66-34, and the Bloodhounds dropping Lehman, 67-51. Michaela Lattimore and Ashley Zeolla combined for 38 points and 26 rebounds for John Jay (12-14), which will face top seed Hunter in the semifinals.
• William Paterson used a 23-0 run to edge New Jersey City, 55-54, in the NJAC tournament's first round. Brianna Smith scored 25 points for the Pioneers who converted 18 NJCU turnovers into 22 points. Erika Mercedes scored 24 points and Kean topped Rowan, 74-68, in the other NJAC first round matchup.
• The first round of the Empire 8 went according to the form with the top four seeds advancing easily. Nazareth had four starters score double figures in a 71-48 victory over Sage. Sidney Tomasso posted a double double (23 points, 11 rebounds) and St. John Fisher eliminated Houghton, 72-55.
• Transylvania won its 12th consecutive HCAC tournament game, though not as easily as usual, as eighth-seeded Bluffton hung with the Pioneers before falling, 58-52. The Beavers got as close as four points down early in the fourth quarter but Transylvania pushed the lead back to 10 on Sierra Kemelgor's three pointer and fended off Bluffton the rest of the way. Higher seeds Hanover, Mount St. Joseph, and Anderson also advanced.
• UEC top-seed St. Mary's (Md.) survived a scare, as Tramarie Mobray's layup with eight seconds left lifted the Seagulls past St. Elizabeth, 64-63. The game had two ties and two lead changes in the final two minutes before St. Mary's pulled out the win.

While several programs played their last game of the season on Saturday, two played their final games ever.

Ja'Mise Bailey posted a double-double (25 points, 12 rebounds) for Fontbonne, as the Griffins fell at SLIAC favorite Webster, 102-52. Fontbonne University announced its closure before the start of the academic year.

Earlier this week, Northland announced it will also close at the end of the academic year. The Jills concluded their season with a 100-40 loss to Martin Luther. Kodie Rempp and Leah Allan scored 10 points apiece in Northland's final game.