The Big Red entered the eight-team tournament as the #2 seed and defeated Oberlin and Wittenberg to reach the title game. The Kenyon Ladies not only had the NCAC regular season championship to their credit, they had defeated Denison in both regular season meetings.
Like most games involving Kenyon this season, it was a defensive battle from the get-go. Only 34 points, combined, were scored in the first half as Denison went to the locker room clinging to a 19-15 lead. After hitting just 7-of-29 shots from the field things seemed to be business as usual for Denison against the Ladies. In the previous two meetings the Big Red had combined to shoot a chilly 28 percent from the field.
After some adjustments, in the second half the Denison team which has now won 11 of their last 13 games, showed up and took control of the contest, shooting 50 percent over the final 20 minutes and outscoring the Ladies 30-24.
Kristen Sheffield continued her magnificent play and was named the tournament’s most valuable player after leading the way with 16 points off 5-of-12 shooting. She was also 4-of-7 from three-point range, upping her league-leading three point shooting percentage to a remarkable 47 percent (58-of-124). She also added six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in 36 minutes of action.
Senior Emma Woodward scored 14 points and also added six rebounds, hitting right at her season averages. One of the biggest performances was turned in by reserve post Tammy Hoch who hustled her way to eight points and a team-high nine rebounds in 27 minutes.
Kenyon (22-5) was led by Anne Dugan’s 13 points and Katy Zeanah finished with five points and 10 rebounds. The Ladies shot just 15-of-55 (.273) for the game and were outrebounded 41-36.
The win not only gets Denison (19-8) into the NCAA postseason for the first time in 11 years, it also moves the Big Red past the 18-win plateau for the first time in school history.
In addition to Sheffield being named the tournament’s MVP, Woodward earned an all-tournament nod after scoring 38 points over the three-game playoff.
After receiving the NCAC’s automatic bid, Denison will now await word from the NCAA as to where they will play their first round game. Selections will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 27 via a conference call and the pairings will be posted at ncaasports.com and the Denison University athletics website (www.denison.edu/athletics). The first-round games will take place on campus sites, Wednesday, March 2.