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Danbury
Coverage of the women's Final Four
Third-round tournament games
Rowan and Southern Maine Advance
By Jim Stout, D3hoops.com
GLASSBORO, N.J. -- One team didn't win its regular-season conference championship. The other was upset in the first round of its conference playoffs.
Both Southern Maine and Rowan have had a lot to make up for in the 2000 NCAA Division III women's tournament. You could say both have made their point.
Southern Maine and Rowan will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. EST in the Atlantic Sectional Final here, with the winner to meet the South Sectional champ next Friday night in the national Final Four in Danbury, Conn. The game will be broadcast live by D3hoopsNet beginning with the pregame show at 6:00 p.m.
Rowan (24-3) started slowly, but ultimately ruined the Cinderella hopes of Commonwealth Coast upstart Eastern Nazarene by scoring a 70-44 win over the Crusaders in the first game of the doubleheader.
In the second game, Southern Maine (24-5) hit its first nine shots and reached the Elite Eight for the eighth time in 14 years by rolling over Clark, 77-61.
Rowan and Southern Maine will be meeting tonight for only the second time ever. Southern Maine scored a 75-48 win over the Profs in the 1993 NCAA sectionals at Wellesley. Rowan last reached the Final Four in 1998 when Southern Maine served as host, but the Profs lost to Washington University in the national semifinals as Southern Maine was beating Mount Union.
Rowan, a loser to Richard Stockton in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs, will be playing in the Elite Eight for the third time.
In the first game, Eastern Nazarene (26-3) threatened over the first seven minutes to produce its second straight shocking performance. The Crusaders, who upset heavily favored Stockton in the previous round, rode the 10 points of junior guard Jody Gardner to a 10-8 lead with 12:15 to play in the first half.
Rowan, however, responded with runs of 10-0 and 18-2 to build a 26-12 lead with 4:41 remaining in the opening session. Nazarene did not get a point from any player other Gardner until Kristy Smith scored with three and a half minutes to go, and the Crusaders trailing 26-14.
With Rowan's 6-2 freshman center, Kathy Darling, overmatching Nazarene's two 5-11 post players at both ends of the floor, Rowan had little trouble in controlling the boards. Darling even made a steal in her own end and drove the length of the court for a layup.
The Profs combined the inside work of Darling with senior point guard Stephanie Alloco (6 first-half points) and the baseline work of sophomore Kristi McCullough (8 points) to lead by 34-18 at the break.
Eastern Nazarene went down by 18 early in the second half before making a short-lived comeback, pulling to within 37-25 with 15:10 to play. Nazarene's large gathering of student fans, who had been given the day off from school in Quincy, Mass., to attend the game, stood and pounded their feet with renewed vigor.
But Rowan reeled off 14 of the next 18 points to take a commanding 53-30 lead with 10 minutes to go.
Besides the play of Darling, Allocco and McCullough, Rowan showed further balance with the performances of Jacqueline Dunbar, Lisa Guide and Donna Clark. The Profs converted just two three-point shots but registered a number of eight to 10 foot jump shots with their mobile lineup.
Gardner scored 24 of Eastern Nazarene's 44 points. The Crusaders hit just 16 of 54 shots (29.6%).
In the second game, Southern Maine continued to make people forget about its disappointing -- by the Huskies' standards -- regular season, beating Clark for a second time in 1999-2000.
Southern Maine lost five Little East Conference games -- including one to modest UMass-Dartmouth -- before roaring through the LEC playoffs, then beating Salem State in its first NCAA game.
Last night, the Huskies hit their first nine shots from the floor and 16 of their first 22. They wound up with 26 assists for their 29 field goals.
"Everything seems to have come together for us at the right time," said fiery senior guard Julie Plant. "It's almost scary with the way we've been playing lately."
Plant, one of the few Southern Maine players remaining who appeared in the 1998 NCAA title game, was one of the main reasons the Huskies flourished again last night. She scored 15 points, hit three of four three-point attempts and contributed 10 assists.
Guard Trish Ripton, who began her career at the University of Maine, scored 21 points in 24 minutes off the bench while sophomore center Jaime Zahm had 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman reserve center Kara Crockett blocked four shots. Southern Maine shot 60 percent from the field, hitting 8-of-9 from 3-point range.
Southern Maine jumped out to leads of 16-2 in the first 4:50 and 21-6 after 5:54 in converting their first nine shots from the field. Zahm scored seven of the Huskies first 12 points while Plant added a three-pointer and two assists.
While Southern Maine was came out on fire, Clark (21-9) did not. Part of the responsibility for that went to Plant, who forced Clark's All-New England forward Marissa Garrity into 3-for-13 shooting in the first half. Garrity finished with 27 points, though many of them came in the second half, after USM coach Gary Fifield had given Plant a rest.
"I don't know if we've played a better 10-minute stretch than we did tonight (at the beginning)," said Fifield. "I mean, the ball kept going in the hole, and when the ball goes in the hole, it makes you look good."
Southern Maine led by 45-26 at the half; It never allowed Clark any closer than 15 points in the second half.
"I thought we have surprised (Clark) a little with the way we played Garrity," said Fifield. "We tried to belly up and face-guard her in the block, and it seemed to work."
"Most of the time," Plant added.
Besides Garrity's 27 points, Elissa Larrivee scored nine for Clark.
First game
Eastern Nazarene (26-3) Christmas 1-8 2-2 4, Cobb 0-1 0-0 0, Gardner 9-17 3-3 24, Smith 3-12 1-5 8, Braddock 1-7 0-0 2, Kabilian 0-0 0-0 0, Hatcher 1-4 0-1 2, Jacobs 1-4 0-0 2, Delgado 0-1 2-2 2; TOTALS: 16-54 8-13 44.
Rowan (24-3) McCullouch 6-12 1-3 14, Darling 7-13 6-10 20, Dunbar 0-2 0-0 0, Allocco 3-7 0-0 6, Guide 4-9 3-4 11, Clark 6-12 1-2 13, L. Ulrich 1-2 1-2 4, M Ulrich 1-3 0-2 2, Wadleigh 0-1 0-0 0, Carcich 0-0 0-0 0, Kuntz 0-0 0-0 0, Petsch 0-0 0-0 0; TOTALS: 28-61 12-23 70
Halftime: Rowan 34, Eastern Nazarene 19; 3-point goals: Eastern Nazarene 4-15 (Gardner 3-7, Smith 1-6, Braddock 0-1, Hatcher 0-1), Rowan 2-13 (McCullouch 1-3, Dunbar 0-1, Allocco 0-3, Clark 0-4,L. Ulrich 1-2); Rebounds: Eastern Nazarene 35 (Smith 10), Rowan 47 (Darling 11); Assists: Eastern Nazarene 10 (Braddock 4), Rowan 16 (Allocco, Clark 3); Total fouls: Eastern Nazarene 19, Rowan 15; Technical fouls: none; Fouled out: none; Officials: Renee Paugh, Bill Miskell, Rosey Johnson.
Second game
Clark (21-9) Markland 0-1 1-2 1, Garrity 12-31 2-2 27, Dias 1-6 2-2 5, Larrivee 4-8 1-1 9, Fuller 2-4 0-0 4, Morgan 3-6 0-0 7, Simonds 0-4 0-0 0, Tourigny 1-2 0-0 2, Morrison 0-2 6-8 6; TOTALS: 23-64 12-15 61.
Southern Maine (24-5) Hopkins 2-2 0-0 5, Kimball 1-3 0-0 2, Zahm 7-9 4-5 18, Plant 5-11 2-3 15, Hathaway 0-1 0-0 0, Ripton 7-10 3-4 21, Dominiczak 3-6 2-2 8, DeGraw 0-0 0-0 0, Crockett 3-5 0-0 6, Libby 0-0 0-0 0, Shaw 1-1 0-0 2, Bourgoin 0-0 0-0 0; TOTALS: 29-48 11-14 77.
Halftime: S. Maine 45, Clark 26; 3-point goals: Clark 3-17 (Garrity 1-8, Dias 1-5, Larrivee 0-1, Fuller 0-1, Morgan 1-2), S. Maine 8-9 (Hopkins 1-1, Plant 3-4, Ripton 4-4); Rebounds: Clark 34 (Markland 9), S. Maine 28 (Zahm 7); Assists: Clark 17 (Dias 4), S. Maine 26 (Plant 10); Total fouls: Clark 16, S. Maine 18; Technical fouls: none; Fouled out: Fuller; Officials: Dee Marrara, Dave Funk; Att: 400.
St. Lawrence 67, St. John Fisher 62 (OT)
CANTON, N.Y. -- St. Lawrence trailed visiting St. John Fisher by six points at halftime of Friday's NCAA sectional semifinal contest, but made a strong second -half effort and held on through an overtime period to defeat the Cardinals 67-62. With the win, the Saints advance to the sectional championship game against Scranton at 5:00 p.m.
St. John Fisher jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never trailed in the first half of play. At the 12:58 mark, Saint guard Sarah Kloepfer's made free throw tied the game at 11, but the Cardinals answered with six consecutive points to maintain the lead.
The Saints (24-5) struggled offensively in first half action, shooting just 30% from the field and going 1-for-6 from three point range. They did, however, have a perfect half from the free throw line, making seven of seven.
With 1:06 to go in the half, the Cardinals led the Saints 25-15. Saint center Megan Dietrichsen made it 25-17 with a jumper assisted by teammate Meredith Eisenhut. Amy Vaughan then netted the first of two free throws to give St. John Fisher a 26-17 advantage.
Saint guard Cara Barbierri responded with two made free throws and Melissa Sewruk's jumper with nine seconds on the clock made it appear as though the Cardinals would go into halftime with a 28-19 lead. However, Eisenhut put up a shot from far beyond the three point line that fell at the buzzer to cut the Cardinal halftime lead to six.
The Saints went on a 9-2 run early in the second half of regulation, tieing the game at 31-31. Barbierri took a pass from Eisenhut at the 13:40 mark to give the Saints their first lead of regulation. Another jumper by Dietrichsen would make it 35-34 St. Lawrence, but Heather Nolan hit a three-point field goal for the Cardinals to regain the advantage.
It was then an exchange of field goals, until both teams ran into foul trouble. Eisenhut took a seat for the Saints at the 11:40 mark with four fouls. Dietrichsen would join her just two minutes later. For St. John Fisher, both Sewruk and Missy Lock collected their fourth foul with approximately six minutes left in regulation.
Dietrichsen would be the only player to foul out in regulation, exiting the game with 3:25 left to play. At that point, her team led by a score of 53-52. Amanda Waloven regained the lead for St. John Fisher with her unassisted layup, but Eisenhut hit one of her four three-point field goals to make it 56-54 St. Lawrence.
Waloven then added a free throw and a field goal, making it 57-56 St. John Fisher, but Jen Janeway netted two free throws for the Saints to again take the lead. Eisenhut and Nicole Leary each hit one of two free throw attempts and the Saints led 60-57 with 13 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Cardinals set up a play during a time out and with two seconds to go in regulation, Barbierri fouled Vaughan to send her to the line for three foul shot attempts. Vaughan sank all three to send the game into overtime.
The Saints put forth a 7-2 effort in the overtime period, with Barbierri scoring five of the Saint seven points. Angie Matusiak scored the only field goal of regulation for St. John Fisher, who finishes the season with a 22-5 record.
St. Lawrence, who shot 65% from the field in second half action, were led by Eisenhut's 19 points. Eisenhut went six for 11 from the field, four for six from three point range and three for four from the free throw line. She also dished out two assists and collected two steals.
Barbierri finished the game with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Dietrichsen added 10 points and five rebounds, while both Leary and Kloepfer chipped in seven points. Janeway scored six points, pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out three assists and made three steals. Katie Griffith added five points for the Saints.
Waloven led St. John Fisher with 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Sewruk added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Vaughan chipped in 11 points. Heather Nolan scored eight points and dished out four assists.
Scranton 49, King's (Pa.) 45
CANTON, N.Y. -- In their fourth meeting this season, Scranton edged out King's by a score of 49-45 to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third time in the last four years. Scranton trailed King's 25-20 at halftime, battled through the second half of regulation to come out on top.
Neither team led by more than three points in the first half of play, until Denise Igo sparked a 9-0 run for King's, to take a 20-13 lead with 5:00 minutes left on the clock. Kelly Halpin cut the lead to 22-15 just under the 5:00 mark. Igo hit a free throw for King's, but Heather Mohrman answered with a three-point field goal for Scranton. Each team would net one final field goal in the first half, making the score 25-20 in King's favor.
Scranton quickly regained the lead in the second half, as AnneMarie Russo scored four points in less than a minute and Mohrman added back to back three-point field goals to make it 31-26 just five minutes into second half action.
It was a steady exchange of field goals, until Joanne Polakoski's jumper brought the game to within two points with 4:35 left in regulation.
Halpin scored four points for Scranton to up the lead to four points, but Polakoski and Fran Monte combined for a four for four effort from the free throw line to again bring the game to within two points.
Shannon Milder made it 47-43 with just 1:27 left, until Denise Igo sank two free throws for King's again bringing the game to within two points. Halpin's jumper with 41 seconds left would be the final field goal of the game however, as Scranton walked off with the victory.
Halpin led Scranton with 14 points, five assists and four steals. Mohrman and Gillian McGovern each chipped in 12 points and added seven and 11 rebounds respectively. Morhman went three for four from three point range, while McGovern dished out four assists. Russo finished the game with six points, while Milder scored two points and blocked two shots.
Igo was the only King's player to reach double figures in scoring. She led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds. Polakoski added eight points and eight rebounds, while Fran Monte chipped in seven points and five rebounds. Katie Bowes collected four steals for King's, who finishes the season at 24-6.
Scranton (25-3) will face host St. Lawrence University Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
St. Thomas 76, George Fox 64
ABILENE, Texas -- St. Thomas jumped to a 17-2 lead in its NCAA Division III women's basketball game vs. George Fox and went on to score a 76-64 win Friday night in the West-South sectional.
The Toms led 42-21 at halftime and survived five three-point baskets by George Fox in the final half. The losers never got closer than eight points, however.
UST is now 26-1 with 25 consecutive wins, while George Fox finished 23-5.
UST senior Molly Hayden had 21 points and six rebounds while fellow senior Mary Thomes had 16 points, 14 in the first half. Junior point guard Sarah Grudnowski had 11 points and four assists, and sophomore center Jen Ulstad had 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Katie Greller paced George Fox with 18.
Thomes hit her first five shots, including two three-pointers, to fuel the opening 17-2 run.
UST plays Saturday at 7 p.m. against host Hardin-Simmons (27-1), a 62-60 winner against crosstown rival McMurry (23-5).
Hardin-Simmons 62, McMurry 60
ABILENE, Texas -- For the third time in four meetings Hardin-Simmons
beat crosstown rival McMurry, this time in front of a standing room-only
crowd of 2,500 at the Mabee Complex in Abilene, Texas.
The Cowgirls managed a 62-60 win in a game that was tightly contested from the outset. The Cowgirls sealed the win with a free throw by Keandra Anderson with eight seconds remaining. She had rebounded her own miss shot and was fouled on a follow attempt. The freshman hit the first and missed the second.
McMurry’s last-ditch effort for a win was an air ball and the Cowgirls advanced to the Elite Eight. It is the first time in school history that HSU has advanced this far in the playoffs. McMurry ended its season with a 24-5 mark.
HSU was led by All-American Southwest Conference performer Kathryn Otwell, who poured in 19 points including four in the last two minutes of the game. Anderson had 17 points and seven rebounds. Andrea Burrows added 13 points including two momentum-gaining 3-pointers. Otwell added eight rebounds to lead the Cowgirls on the boards.
McMurry was led by reserve Lilly Ogunbanjo, who scored 22 points and hauled down nine rebounds. Ogonna Merritt had 15 points for the losers.
The Cowgirls will host St. Thomas on Saturday night at the Mabee Complex at 7 p.m. for the right to go to the Final Four in Danbury, Conn. STU advanced with a 76-64 win against George Fox.
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