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Notables

News and notes from around D-III

From Feb. 15-21, 2002

Cabrini finishes PAC run, makes NCAA
ASTON, Pa. — Gary Goldman hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to lift fourth-seeded Cabrini past homestanding Neumann in the PAC men's championship game 71-67 before a standing room-only crowd on Thursday night. The Cavaliers have now won eight of the first 10 PAC men's basketball titles and the last two in a row. Cabrini (17-11) advances to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Tournament MVP Brian Wood had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, while Tim Gordon added 13 points and Tim Maddox had 11 points.

Third-seeded Neumann (21-7) was led by Rahim Washington's game-high 22 points. Randy Maultsby and Solomon Harris had 11 points, while Omar Warthen had a game-high 12 rebounds for the Knights.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps clinches bid
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Whittier 84-52 and Pomona-Pitzer upset SCIAC co-leader Cal Lutheran 62-61 to give the Stags the outright conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. CMS and CLU had been tied for first entering the evening and would have required a tiebreaker playoff game Saturday night if both teams had won.

Claremont (21-4), which placed five scorers in double figures including 15 points from Christian Dundas, became the first team in SCIAC history to win 13 conference games. Their only conference loss was at Cal Lutheran 59-58 on Jan. 9.

Paterson men return to NJAC title game
UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Senior guard Khalid Coursey scored a game-high 28 points, including 16 in the first half as fourth-seeded and two-time defending champion William Paterson upset top-seeded Montclair State 66-42 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference men's semifinals at Panzer Gymnasium on Thursday.

William Paterson will face second-seeded Richard Stockton in the championship game in Pomona, N.J., on Saturday at 7 p.m. Richard Stockton defeated third-seeded Ramapo 74-68 this evening. Rashaan Barner added 10 points for the Pioneers (18-9), who will advance to their third consecutive NJAC title game. No team has won three NJAC championships in a row since the Pioneers from 1983-85.

Omar Boothe finished with 11 points for the Red Hawks (18-8), who suffered their worst loss of the season. Montclair State was hosting its first NJAC Tournament game since 1984.

Coursey got the Pioneers off to a flying start as he scored 13 of William Paterson's first 15 points, including three 3-pointers giving WPU a 15-6 lead with 12:31 to play. Montclair State would not get as close as 15 the rest of the way. Montclair State shot just 33% (9-for-27) from the field in the first half and committed 10 turnovers.

In the second half, Montclair trailed 44-20 with 16:44 before cutting the lead to 15 as Boothe hit a 3-pointer while Harold Williams, Michael Gluck and Joseph Thomas each scored baskets to make the score 44-29 with 11:51 to play. However, the Pioneers quickly pushed the lead back to 25 as Coursey scored seven points in a 14-4 run over the next five minutes.

6-seed advances to MASCAC title game
SALEM, Mass. — The Framingham State men went on a 22-8 run over the final 11 minutes en route to a 61-59 upset victory over Fitchburg State on Thursday evening at Salem State's Twohig Gymnasium.

The No. 6 seed Rams, who held the No. 2 seed Falcons scoreless over the final 4:30, adavnce to the MASCAC postseason championship game for the first time in the 13-year history of the tournament. They face host and top seed Salem State, which defeated Bridgewater State 76-52. Salem advances to the conference championship game for the 13th time in 13 years.

Fitchburg (16-10) jumped out to a 51-39 with 10:55 in the contest. The Falcons were led by junior guard Issac Lane's 13 points and junior forward Joe Howell's 11 points and 15 rebounds. However, Framingham's Ralph Sully scored all eight of his points over the game's final 11 minutes, including a putback with 2:10 to play to cut Fitchburg's lead to 59-56.

After the Rams forced a stop on the ensuing possession, senior guard Tim O'Malley converted a three-point play to tie the contest at 59-59 with 1:15 remaining. The Rams' defense forced another missed shot with 58 seconds left. Then junior guard Jason Robbins found an open Porter Debow who scored the final two of his game-high 14 points with 36 seconds to go.

The Falcons would have two chances to tie or win in the final seconds, but Howell's attempted leaner and a Lane turnover with 1.8 seconds left sealed the victory for the underdog Rams.

Framingham, who trailed 35-30 at the half, received 10-point efforts from O'Malley, MASCAC Rookie of the Year Chris Feeney and forward Eric Taylor. The Rams were victorious despite being outrebounded 47-33.

The Falcons received 11 points from Chris DaCosta and nine points and 14 rebounds from Tahir Core. Core totalled 36 rebounds in two MASCAC tournament games.

Hope finally solves Albion
HOLLAND, Mich. — The third time proved to be the charm for the sixth-ranked Hope women, which advanced to the championship game of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament after defeating Albion 55-46 Thursday before a capacity Dow Center crowd.

Hope lost two games the entire regular season but both were to Albion, most recently last Saturday 58-46.

The Flying Dutch (25-2) were not to be denied this time around. Hope raced to a 33-17 halftime lead and then withstood an Albion run that brought the Britons to within seven points, 51-44, with a minute left in the game.

Senior guard Becky Sutton played an all-around outstanding game scoring 13 points, dishing off five assists and gaining six steals.

Junior center Amanda Kerkstra, starting in her first game since suffering an early in January, made six of seven shots enroute to a 13-point performance. She also blocked four shots, had three steals and did not commit a turnover in 30 minutes of play.

Senior Laura Poppema grabbed 10 rebounds including nine off the defensive board.

The Flying Dutch committed only nine turnovers and finished with 12 steals off 19 Albion turnovers.

Marymount advances without Crawley
YORK, Pa. — York failed to take advantage of a one-game suspension of Marymount's Dallas Crawley and fell in the Capital Athletic Conference men's semifinals 103-100.

With Crawley on the sidelines for throwing a punch in the conference quarterfinals against Salisbury, the Saints (19-8) jumped out to a seven-point lead just four minutes into the game.

York was down 14-5 with 15:45 left in the first half before they put together a run to climb back into the contest. Tim Hawken started an 11-2 spurt to bring the green and white even with the Saints. Hawken hit for six points in the run and Seth McLane went in for a layup and then sunk the foul shot after he was fouled by the Saints.

Steve Schmehl scored with 13:23 left to even the score at 16-16. The teams exchanged leads for the next seven minutes before Marymount took control of the game. Alex Bernstein scored six points in the final two minutes, but the Spartans were unable to overcome Devin Archie’s 11 points in the last 5:45 to help the Saints take a 51-48 lead into the locker room.

The second half saw Marymount extend their lead as they came out shooting well. Bernstein hit a 3-pointer less than a minute into the half to even the score at 53-53, but again, the Saints seized control of the momentum. Terry Hoffman hit a layup followed by a trey from Carlton Phelps to give the Saints a five-point advantage.

With 14:53 remaining, the Spartans faced a nine point deficit on the heels of another Hoffman basket. York’s comeback started with three consecutive 3-pointers. John Ely hit two in a row followed by an Andy O’Brien trey to narrow the deficit margin to two points with 13:21 left to play. Jason Hunt hit a jumper to tie the game at 71-71. Schmehl went in for a lay-up and Ely hit a clutch trey to give York a 79-78 advantage, their first lead since 9:53 of the first half.

Archie, the nemesis of the Spartans the entire game, hit six points to give the Saints an 87-83 lead with 6:53 left. The Spartans, however, refused to go away. Hawken hit a three sandwiched between two Bernstein trey’s to give York a five point advantage. O’Brien hit two baskets to give York a 96-92 lead with 2:33 remaining. Marymount refused to go away, and McCoy scored followed by Hoffman’s two free-throws and a shot from behind the arc to take a three point lead with 0:39 left in the game.

Bernstein scored with 16 seconds left to cut the Marymount lead to 99-98. Phelps scored a back-breaking basket with 0:12 left as he beat the Sapratns with a long inbounds pass. Ely was called for an intentional foul, and on the ensuing foul shots, Phelps hit both to essentially end the game and York’s season.

Bernstein led the Spartan scorers with 21 points. He was 8-for-13 from the floor and grabbed three rebounds while hitting three of six shots from 3-point range. Ely scored 19 points, hitting five of nine from behind the arc. Schmehl had a great game, hitting eight of 15 from the field for 18 points. He also had a team high eight rebounds. O’Brien added 14 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out six assists, and blocking two shots. Hawken rounded out the scorers in double figures, scoring 13 points and grabbing four rebounds. As a team, York shot 51.9% from the floor, 35.3% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free-throw line.

Archie led all scorers with 32 points, shooting 11-for-23 from the floor. Phelps and Hoffman scored 20 points apiece and Kip McCoy added 16. As a team, the Saints shot 52.1% from the field, 26.1% from behind the arc, and 95.5% from the free throw line after shooting 61% from the charity stripe the rest of the season.

The Spartans, with six seniors, end the season with a 21-6 record, the best in school history. Marymount advances to the CAC championship game, at Catholic at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Carleton knocks off Tommies
ST. PAUL — Senior forward Renee Willette had 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals and third-seeded Carleton built a 19-point first-half lead and held on for a 71-62 victory at second-seeded St. Thomas in an MIAC women's semifinal game Wednesday night in Schoenecker Arena.

The Knights (22-5) advance to Saturday's championship game vs. St. Ben's (23-3), a 60-58 overtime winner over Gustavus.

Missy Pederson scored a career-high 36 points and had four steals for the Tommies (21-5), including five 3-point baskets. Alissa Case had 10 points and five rebounds for UST.

Carleton avenged a 77-64 loss to St. Thomas on the same floor seven days earlier. Willette had seven points during a 15-1 run that built a 36-17 lead, and they led 40-24 at halftime. The Tommies pulled within 62-55 with 4:16 to play but never got closer.

Carleton shot 60% from the field in the first half and finished 51% on the night (29-of-57). They outrebounded the Tommies 40-31.

For the Knights, Bethany Koehler had 15 points and four assists; Karissa Kramer added 10 points; Karen Fricke had 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting; and Linnea Engel had nine points and four assists.

Tommie freshmen Kristi Huegel and Vel Williams combined for 36 points in last week's win over Carleton but were held to a combined nine points.

The Tommies' streak of consecutive NCAA playoff appearances, now at 15, is
now in jeopardy. The NCAA Division III field will be announced Sunday night, and will be posted here as soon as available, shortly after 9:30 EST (men shortly after 9:00). Full men's and women's conference tournament results.

Western Maryland's roll continues
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In a hard fought defensive battle visiting Western Maryland held on to upset No. 17 Muhlenberg 53-52 in the Centennial Conference semifinals. Neither team could find any offensive rhythm and had to work for every point as WMC connected on only 39.7% from the field and the Mules hit on only 27% of their attempts.

A foul shot by Kelly Cramp made the game 53-50 with 1:40 remaining. The teams would trade empty possessions until 16 seconds remained. Susan Marchiano knocked down a jumper to cut the Terror lead to one. The Mules (21-4) applied a press and came away with a steal with seven seconds left. Out of timeouts, howveer, they were unable to get the ball up court and time expired giving WMC the victory.

Jen Piccolomini spearheaded the Terror attack scoring 15 points Cramp followed suit dropping in 14 points. Sophomore point guard Toby McIntire continued her spirited play scoring eight points and ripping down a game-high nine rebounds.

The Green Terror (21-6), after reaching the conference tournament via a play-in game, will host the conference championship game Saturday against Swarthmore, which knocked off West Division top seed Franklin & Marshall.

Elizabethtown survives upset bid
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Until the final minute, one could have said that Elizabethtown point guard Rocky Parise was having an off night in the Blue Jays' MAC Commonwealth semifinal game against Susquehanna. Parise, who is fifth in the nation with 6.7 assists per game, had just four assists, two points and no steals until, with 59 seconds to go, he stole the ball from Susquehanna's Chris Zimmerman.

Susquehanna, which was leading 77-76 at the time in its improbable upset bid, pressured the rest of Etown's offense while leaving Parise, who was 0-for-7 from three-point range at that point, wide open. Parise responded by sinking a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to go that proved to be the anvil that broke the camel's back for Susquehanna. Etown went on to win the game 80-77, with the final point scored on a foul shot by none other than Parise with nine seconds left.

With the win, top-seeded Elizabethtown advances to host the MAC Commonwealth championship game on Saturday against second-seeded and defending conference champion Widener, which defeated Lebanon Valley in the night's other playoff game 77-61. The Blue Jays improve to 24-2 overall with the win, while fourth-seeded Susquehanna sees its season end with a 14-12 overall mark.

Susquehanna carried a surprising 39-37 lead into halftime, and the Blue Jays did not regain the lead until Bob Porambo who led Elizabethtown with 24 points and nine rebounds, hit a layup with 13:09 remaining in the second half to take a 52-50 lead.

Etown fell behind again at 10: 39 when a Zigmas Kaknevicius umper gave the Crusaders a 56-54 lead. Etown again found itself on top with 6:42 to go when a Brian Loftus 3-pointer made the score 63-62. A Zimmerman jumper at 4:25 gave Susquehanna the lead again at 71-70.

A Porambo jumper at 2:05 caused the lead to change hands again, 76-75 in favor of the Blue Jays. Kaknevicius' layup at 1:17 gave Susquehanna its final lead of the game, 77-76, heading into the final minute when Parise took center stage.

Besides Porambo, other Etown players with big offensive nights included Loftus, who totaled 19 points and hit five out of seven 3-point attempts, and Brian Marquette, who came off the bench to score 13 points in 18 minutes on 5-for-8 shooting.

Nick Griffiths led Susquehanna with 24 points and six rebounds, and Zimmerman had 19 points and seven assists.

Westminster upsets Case Western
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — The Westminster women closed the 2001-02 regular season on a strong note Feb. 20 at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium, as the Lady Titans improved to 14-11 with a 66-53 upset of No. 20 Case Western Reserve (18-6) in a non-conference game.

The two teams played a nip-and-tuck first half, with 10 lead changes and six ties. The Lady Spartans led by as many as six points (19-13 with 13:58 left) before a late Westminster push narrowed the CWRU lead to one point (30-29) at the half. Tied 36-36 with 16:01 to play, the Lady Titans took the lead for good on a layup by freshman forward Erica Tallo, which keyed an 11-0 run giving Westminster an 11-point lead (47-36) with 12:43 to play. The Lady Spartans never seriously threatened the rest of the way, as the Lady Titans held a double-digit lead until the final buzzer.

Two Lady Titans posted double-doubles in points and rebounds in the upset victory. Junior forward Samor Himes posted a game-high 17 points and hauled in 10 rebounds, while Tallo added 10 points and 10 boards. Senior guard Robin Thayer, playing in her final regular season game, scored 15 points in the win, while sophomore forward Alicia Anderson came off the bench to tie for team rebound honors with 10 caroms. Junior guard Ashley Kenney dished out a team-high four assists for WC. Jasmine Rowan led Case Western Reserve with 14 points.

The Lady Titan cagers have applied for a bid to the ECAC Division II playoffs. Westminster is not eligible to compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoffs due to its continuing reclassification from NCAA Division II to Division III.

Mac avoids upset with late 3
ST. PAUL — Ryan Gerry nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.4 seconds left to lift Macalester (16-10) to an 83-82 MIAC tournament win Tuesday St. Paul over St. John’s.

St. John’s (15-11) closed out the first half with 11 unanswered points and started the second half on a 16-6 run to go up by 17 points at 57-40 with 13:59 to play. The Scots battled back, largely with 3-point shooting, and came to within a point at 79-78 on a Gerry 3-pointer with 1:10 to go. SJU’s Shawn McGuire nailed a baseline jumper as the shot clock was winding down on the next Johnnie possession to put the visitors back up 81-78.

McGuire missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 15 ticks left and two Erik Jackson free throws with 8.8 seconds to go brought Mac to within a point at 81-79. Ryan Keating made one of two free throws less than a second later before Jackson dribbled quickly into the front court and dished it to Gerry (above) for the winning 3-pointer.

Gerry scored a season-high 20 points, going 6-for-11 on 3-pointers to pace Macalester. Ben Van Thorre added 19 points and three others reached double figures as well. Jackson had 14, Patrick Russell 12 and Adam Denny 10. Luke Witt was 5-for-6 on 3-pointers and led St. John’s with 26 points. Mike Nester added 18 and Shawn McGuire had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Dusty Lamker scored 11 and Keating dished out 12 assists.

Photo by Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com Champ Albano (left), who hit Tuesday night's game-winner, is Staten Island's top 3-point shooter, at 45.6%.

Staten Island will battle No. 2 seed Medgar Evers in the CUNY finals Friday night at 7:45.

Midway through the first half, the Dolphins assembled a 13-0 run that turned a 15-10 deficit into a 23-15 lead. After John Alesi hit a layup to cut the deficit to 27-26 with three seconds left in the half, he made the mistake of fouling CSI senior guard Champ Albano on a halfcourt heave as the buzzer sounded. He calmly sank all three free throws to give the Dolphins a 30-26 halftime lead.

It was a close battle the rest of the way as neither team managed to pull away. With the score tied at 62, Paul grabbed an offensive rebound and put one in off the glass to push CSI ahead 64-62 with 29 seconds remaining. Alesi came through once more with a short baseline jumper to knot the game at 64 with 15 ticks left.

"We just made some big shots," said 13th-year Dolphin head coach Tony Petosa, who saw his CSI career scoring mark of 1,635 fall to senior David Paul, who entered the game with identical scoring marks. Paul scored 19 for Staten Island on the night to push his career numbers to 1,654. "It's nice that he got it in a win, in a perfect world it would have happened in the finals."

Albano then rushed his jumper in traffic, missed, and put back his own rebound at 2.6 seconds to go for the game winner and a berth in CSI's second consecutive CUNY finale.

"It was just there today, I had to shoot and score," said Albano who had a game-high 24. "Our first two options (Paul & Nesbitt) were keyed on the whole day so they kicked it out to me. I never hit a game-winning shot before from CYO until now, it's a dream come true."

Alesi, who tallied 18 points for Baruch (18-9), missed a running three at the buzzer. Daniel Guilford and Shaun Applebaum added 12 points apiece.

William Paterson advances to NJAC semifinals
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — William Paterson held the New Jersey City men under 50 points in a game for the first time in two seasons as the Pioneers knocked off the Gothic Knights 60-44 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference play-in tiebreaker game at the Athletic and Fitness Center.

The win breaks a tie between the two rivals that met for last year's NJAC title, and lifts WPU (17-9) into the fourth seed in the NJAC tournament.

NJCU (16-10), which at the beginning of the month held a piece of first place in the league, is eliminated from NJAC contention and must wait to see if they receive a bid to the ECAC Tournament beginning Feb. 27. The Knights also fall to 9-3 at home.

The last time NJCU scored less than 50 in a game was a 62-42 home loss to Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 26, 2000. In that game, NJCU was without six players suspended from an altercation against Rowan the previous game. The opponent scoring low is a defensive best for the Pioneers this year. After starting the conference schedule at 0-4, WPU has won 10 of 11 to squeeze its way into the postseason. NJCU has lost six of their last nine.

The two teams traded six leads or ties in the first half. A 3-pointer by senior shooting guard Irv Jenkins gave the Knights what proved to be their final lead of the game at 22-20 with 2:04 remaining in the first period. The Pioneers ran off the final eight points of the half and owned a 28-22 advantage at the midway point.

In the second half, s enior guard Rashaan Barner sparked WPU to a run that gave them control for good. With the score 32-25 and 17:55 left, Barner hit a jumper and finished a three-point play for a 33-25. A layup by Barner at 17:10, followed by a jumper at 16:01, gave the visitors a 37-25 edge.

Leading 39-29 with 13:13 left, the Pioneers unleashed a 13-2 blitz to gain a 52-31 advantage. That 21-point margin matched their largest lead of the game.
Barner led all scorers with 21 points (10-for-15), including 12 in the first half. He grabbed seven rebounds. Senior center Dag Christensen had the second highest game total with 11 (4-for-7) and a game-best eight boards. Senior point guard Khalid Coursey had nine points (4-for-15), six rebounds, and game-highs with four assists and three steals. The Pioneers finished shooting 25-of-53 overall, and owned a commanding 38-25 disparity in rebounding, including 14 offensive grabs. They translated that into a 17-2 differential in second-chance points. They also outscored NJCU in the paint, 34-14.

Senior center Marcisco Morrison led the way in scoring for NJCU with nine (3-for-5) and also had a team-high five rebounds. Jenkins added eight before fouling out.

HSC wins ODAC tournament
SALEM, Va. — Hampden-Sydney fired a warning shot across the bow of every team hoping for a Pool C bid as the third-seeded Tigers knocked off top seed Randolph-Macon 55-48 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game Feb. 18 to win the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Randolph-Macon, which had won the previous two meetings between the archrivals, is considered a near-lock for a Pool C bid at 23-5, 23-4 against Division III teams. Hampden-Sydney would have joined other teams on the bubble if they had lost.

The Tigers (22-5) got 13 points off the bench from Jeff Monroe and 11 from Brandon Randall as they won their fifth ODAC title since 1997.

"For the last couple weeks we've tried to emphasize as a team the little things — holding onto the ball, playing good defense; the things that make you successful in the game of basketball," head coach Tony Shaver said. I thought this weekend we did those things better."

The Yellow Jackets struggled from the field all game, shooting just 19.2% in the first stanza. They finished the game shooting 30.5% from the field and just 17.9% (5-for-28) from 3-point range.

"They are one of the best I've seen at running set plays. We wanted to disrupt them and take them out of the game and I feel that we did that tonight. I thought the zone was something that would disrupt them and we ended up playing it more than I anticipated," Shaver said.

Randolph-Macon reached the final by beating fourth-seeded Roanoke 71-63 in the ODAC semifinals, while Hampden-Sydney rallied to beat No. 7 seed Emory & Henry 105-95.

Jared Mills paced the Yellow Jackets with 18 points including a 6-for-11 performance from the field, including his 1000th career point. He also pulled down a game-high nine boards. Randolph-Macon, which struggled from the line two weeks ago in a loss at Virginia Wesleyan, shot 23-for-26 (88.5%) to keep the Maroons at bay. Check out conference tournament pairings for men and women as we continue the countdown to Selection Sunday.

Western Maryland survives Centennial play-in
WESTMINSTER, Md. — Johns Hopkins center Kathy Darling had her say all night, but it was her counterpart Kris Brust who delivered the final word giving Western Maryland a 70-68 victory in the Centennial Conference play-in game over Johns Hopkins.

At first half's end, Blue Jays star Darling was held to just five points. Western Maryland held a 38-28 lead and was hitting on all cylinders. However, the second half was a different story. A concerted effort was made to get the ball inside to Darling where she proved to be unstoppable one on one. This forced help from the perimeter, which allowed Blue Jay sharpshooter Ashley Shelper to get open looks. Shelper would knock down three 3-pointers on her way to scoring 16. This would give the Blue Jays the spark to battle back and take their largest lead of three points with 5:39 left in regulation.

The game would go back and forth until a timeout with 18 seconds set the stage for a heart-pounding finish. Toby McIntire took the ball strong to the basket but her shot bounced long. Kris Brust then ripped down the rebound and took the ball up hard and was hammered by Darling. With two seconds remaining Brust calmly steeped up to the free throw line and knocked down both shots sealing the victory.

Freshman Kelly Cramp led the Green Terror on offense with a team-high 15 points. Sophomore point guard Toby McIntire demonstrated her leadership netting 13 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Jen Piccolomini was also a key factor netting 13 points and swiping four steals.

The Blue Jays placed four members in double figures led by Darling and Shelper with 22 and 16 points respectively. Ashley Felix dropped in 12 and Maureen Myers chipped in with 10.

The win improves the Green Terror to 20-6 and sends them to a Centennial Conference semifinal game at Muhlenberg. Johns Hopkins' season send at 19-7.

Albion finishes Hope sweep
HOLLAND, Mich. — Albion has accomplished what no other team could so far this regular season. The Britons defeated Hope. Twice.

Albion (16-8, 7-7 MIAA) earned a regular season sweep over the No. 2-ranked Flying Dutch by posting a 58-46 victory before a crowd of 700 at the Dow Center on Saturday afternoon, after winning only four games last season.

The Britons shot 38% from the field (9-for-24) in the first half and took a 26-23 lead to the locker room.

The Britons seized control of the game with a 17-7 run to turn a 30-30 tie into a 47-37 Briton lead with 12:20 remaining. Junior guards Becky Campbell and Stacey Supanich scored the first nine points of the Briton rally. Campbell gave Albion the lead for good when she knocked down a jumper. Supanich followed with a basket, a three-point field goal, and a pair of free throws.

Hope was able to cut its deficit to 47-43 with just under 10 minutes left in the game when Amy Brower scored a basket. The Flying Dutch, however, would score just three points the rest of the game. Campbell, Supanich, and freshman guard Sarah Caskey led Albion's offense with 13 points apiece.

All three shot the ball well (Campbell was 5-for-10 from the field, Supanich was 4-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 at the free throw line, and Caskey was 3-for-5 from the field and 6-for-7 at the line).

Hope (23-2, 12-2) did not have a player score in double figures. Amy Baltmanis was the high scorer for the Flying Dutch with eight points.

Eastern Conn. returns favor to Southern Maine
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — The No. 6 Eastern Connecticut women shot better than 60% from the floor in the first half and rolled to a 75-56 Little East Conference win against No. 3 Southern Maine on Saturday at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Eastern (24-1, 13-1) and Southern Maine (23-2, 13-1) finish tied for the LEC regular-season championship for the second consecutive year. It is the fourth title for Eastern and the 14th for Southern Maine in the 16-year history of the conference. Southern Maine, which had a 20-game winning streak snapped, will host the tournament semifinals and final this Friday and Saturday at Gorham, Maine. As the top two seeds, ECSU and Southern Maine earn first-round tournament byes.

Sophomore All-America forward Allison Coleman hit 10 of 14 field goals and finished with 21 first-half points for Eastern, which shot 60.6% from the floor en route to a 14-point, 45-31 halftime lead. The win is the 13th in a row for Eastern. The Warriors' only loss came by two points (61-59) at Southern Maine on Jan. 12. The 13 conference wins are also the most by an ECSU women's basketball team.

Coleman finished with 23 points, senior forward Joanna Debicki adding 19 points — hitting half of her ten three-point tries. Senior post player Kristyn Grassi and sophomore guard Kathleen Burdelski had 12 each. Senior guard Darcy Mund handed out seven assists. Debicki had a game-high 10 rebounds to help the Warriors to a 47-34 advantage on the boards.

Sophomore guard Megan Cressler led Southern Maine with 12 points and eight rebounds while senior guard Niki Dominiczak added eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals while playing all 40 minutes.

Otterbein tops Capital, claims OAC top seed
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship, the No. 1 seed in the OAC tournament, Capital's 16-game win streak and crosstown bragging rights on the line, Otterbein marched into the Capital Center and came away with a 70-67 victory in front of a standing-room only crowd of over 2,600.

No. 8-ranked Otterbein took its first lead of the game four minutes into the contest and never trailed again. No. 13 Capital, however, refused to go away.

The Cardinals (22-3, 15-3 OAC) led 17-15 at the 8:21 mark when they started a 9-2 run that pushed the lead to nine, 26-17. The teams traded baskets over the final three minutes of the half before a pivotal sequence in the final minute. Otterbein's Kevin Shay hit a jumper to push the Cardinal lead to 10, then stole the inbounds pass from CU's Geron Tate and converted the layin to push the margin to 40-28. Capital's Tyler Schleich buried a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to provide the nine-point halftime difference, 40-31.

A heart-stopping second half saw the Cardinals and Crusaders (21-4, 14-4) answer each other blow for blow. A quick 7-0 run gave Otterbein an 11-point edge, the largest lead of the afternoon, with 5:32 remaining. Capital fought back with an 8-0 run of their own, cutting the deficit to three, 63-60, with 2:29 left.

The final minute provided the greatest drama of the contest. Otterbein's Jeff Gibbs was whistled for his fourth foul with 38 seconds remaining, and Tate converted both free throws to cut the lead to 66-64. On the other end, Otterbein's Tony Borghese missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity. After calling a timeout, Tate drove the lane for an apparent tying layin, but Otterbein's Robert Mock came out of nowhere to reject the shot. Shay converted two free throws to stretch the OC lead to 68-64 with 16 seconds remaining, and the Otterbein fans began to celebrate.

Capital, however, was not dead yet. Tate was fouled on a 3-point attempt with five seconds left, and hit all three free throws to cut the lead to a single point. Borghese returned to the line for the Cardinals, and this time made both shots to extend the lead to three. A desperation three by Tate was no good, and the Otterbein students stormed the court.

Preseason All-American Gibbs paced the Cardinals with 27 points and 17 rebounds. He was 8-for-10 from the floor and 11-for-14 at the line. The performance was his 24th double-double in as many games. Also in double figures for Otterbein were Borghese with 15, Shay with 13 and Scott Hadley with 11.

Capital placed three players in double figures: Tate with 19, Schleich with 16 and Chuck Bihn with 11.

The win clinched Lebanon Valley the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth playoffs.

In the loud Falcon’s den, Lebanon Valley (22-3, 13-1) battled point-for-point and found themselves up 43-42 when junior Stephanie Tighe nailed a 3-pointer with less than three minutes to play. She raised her fist coming down the floor and the pumped LVC defense stopped Messiah again as freshman Tamika Rogers blocked a shot by Christina Vouriotis to give the ball back to the Valley.

Two trips later, freshman Jennifer Northcott hit a 17-foot jump shot to give LVC a 45-42 lead with under a minute to play. On the other end, Melissa Ehst scored underneath to pull the Falcons within one.

Kristin Sassa then fouled Gibson on the ensuing trip up the floor. Gibson drained both free throws despite the crowd noise. The frenzy intensified when Melissa Ehst tied the game at 47 with 20 seconds showing.

After a LVC timeout with 12.6 on the clock, Stephanie Tighe inbounded the ball to Gibson, who then found Northcott along the right side. Northcott, double-teamed, kicked the rock to Gibson for the buzzer-beater.

Tighe finished with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. Gibson walked away with a smile and 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Northcott was key with 11 rebounds and seven points.

Lebanon Valley led 25-21 at the break. LVC suffered 28 turnovers, but out-rebounded Messiah 42-28. Heidi Marks had 11 points for the Falcons, while Vouriotis and Ehst finished with seven points apiece.

The MAC Commonwealth playoffs begin next Wednesday, Feb. 20. Top seed LVC will host No. 4 seed Juniata. In the other bracket on Wednesday, No. 2 seeded Messiah (21-3, 12-2) will host Moravian.

Photos by Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com York celebrates following comeback win.

After sophomore forward Ashlee Courter hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to give Marymount a 54-41 lead, York scored 13 unanswered points and tied the game on a Heather Kessler 3-pointer with 22.3 seconds left.

Kristin McGrory hit a pair of foul shots with 17.7 seconds left to give the Saints a 56-54 lead, but junior forward Jodie Knotts was called for her fifth foul as Elliot launched one from the left wing, sending Elliot to the line for the game-winning shots. A 35-foot heave fell short for Marymount (19-5, 11-2 Capital Athletic Conference) at the buzzer.

Catherine Elliot's three free throws made her 4-for-5 on the day and gave her eight points.

"If I'd want anyone on the line it's her because she's a gamer," said York head coach Betsy Witman. "She's very focused. I knew she'd make at least two and get us to overtime."

York (17-8, 11-3) took advantage of Marymount miscues during the run, as the Saints traveled, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and forced up a 3-pointer early in the shot clock that the Spartans corralled. The Saints were held to 6-for-30 shooting (20%) in the second half, 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

"We went back to man-to-man defense," said Witman, and York started its run when it spread the floor by going to a four-guard offense.

Two of those guards were Kessler and Elliot. "Kessler's a great player both offensively and defensively," said Witman. "She had (Marymount All-American guard) Candice Brown guarding her most of the game."

Kessler scored seven of her game-high 11 points during York's game-ending run, while the Spartans held Marymount's top scorers, Brown and Knotts, to six points combined in the second half. Each finished with a game-high 13.

Schubert surges to 2,000-point mark
BETHANY, W.Va. — Senior forward Keith Schubert (with ball) scored a season-high 43 points and in the process, surpassed the 2,000 point mark as Bethany rallied for a 96-91 overtime victory against visiting Grove City.

The win ended the Bison's regular season record at 18-7, tying the school wins record, and 7-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Grove City fell to 16-9, 4-4.

Andy Vlajkovich helped the Wolverines take as large as a nine-point lead at 69-60 with 5:14 to play. But Schubert scored 16 points in the final five minutes to help send the game to overtime. Schubert scored his 2,000th point on a layup with 1:09 left to bring the Bison within 80-77.

After a Bison foul, Grove City hit only one of two at the foul line. A layup by senior center Derek Hoffman made it an 81-79 game with 43 seconds left. The Wolverines would go 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final half minute but Schubert drained one triple and was fouled taking another with eight second to play. Trailing by three, the 6-4 forward calmly stepped to the line and buried all three to tie the game at 85.

In the extra session, Grove City scored the opening hoop but never led again. The Bison went on a 9-1 run to take control of the game. Grove City did get within three at 94-91 but Schubert iced the win with three free throws in the final 30 seconds for the win.

Rowan sends NJCU men to NJAC play-in game
GLASSBORO, N.J. — New Jersey City had a chance to clinch a berth in next week’s New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament with a victory on Saturday. But sophomore guard Tylee Thomas hit a running jumper with seconds remaining in regulation as Rowan spoiled NJCU’s guaranteed spot in the tournament with a 78-76 win at Esby Gym. The loss, coupled with William Paterson's 65-54 win against Rutgers-Newark, forces a play-in game Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in Jersey City. NJCU won the coin toss conducted at the conference office to determine who would host. The game will be broadcast on D3hoops.com.

The intensely physical game included 43 fouls and four technical fouls. NJCU (16-9, 11-7) is 5-18 the last 20 years in Glassboro, including three playoff game losses.

Senior shooting guard Irv Jenkins led all scorers with 18 points and despite shooting 6-for-24, and 3-for-16 from long range, almost proved to be the hero when his 3 from the left arc tied the game at 76-76 with just 37 seconds on the clock before Thomas won it for Rowan.

NJCU grabbed a 13-10 first half lead on a Rafi Hargrove 3-pointer with 13:18 left, and after the Profs tied the game twice, Samar Battle hit a 3 with 6:38 remaining for a six-point, 31-25 edge. Rowan battled to tie it at 31-31. With 11 seconds left in the first half, George Thomas nailed a 3 for Rowan on a touch shot off an inbounds pass with one second on the shot clock, giving the Profs a 38-34 lead at the midway point.

Rowan led early in the second half before the Knights took a 41-40 lead on a Hargrove layup, and extended that lead to 43-40 on a steal and fast-break layup by Jenkins, making it 43-40 with 17:34 left. The Profs regained the lead when Bob Weir hit a 3 to make it 45-43 at 15:53. Then the game got physical, and on a tie up, officials called a technical foul on Jenkins. Two Weir free throws gave Rowan a 49-43 lead at 15:24.

With 11:07 left, and Rowan leading 54-47, the officials called a technical foul on Jose Martinez on a NJCU inbounds play, then called a subsequent technical on the Knight bench. Weir hit all four free throws to give the Profs a 58-47 lead. The 11-points was their largest advantage of the game.

Hargrove was fouled on a three at 10:12 and hit all three free throws to cut it to a six-point, 58-52 score. On the inbounds, sophomore center Joe Wendel was picked off by Hargrove. Wendel committed a hard foul, and was called for Rowan’s first technical. Hargrove made both free throws to cut the lead to 58-55.

The Profs regained a 62-55 lead before two George Thomas buckets, followed by layups by Martinez and Battle shaved the margin to 64-63 with 6:35 remaining. Over the final six minutes, the two teams traded baskets with Rowan gaining a four-point edge on just two occasions, including a 72-68 score with 4:16 on the clock. Martinez, who scored four points and had seven rebounds, trimmed the lead to 72-71 on an offensive grab and layup with 3:15 to go. Chris Young made a lay-up for Rowan to regain a 74-71 advantage, before a Battle jumper with 2:06 remaining made it 74-73. A pair of Tylee Thomas free throws gave Rowan a 76-73 lead with 47 seconds left before Jenkins tied it.

Jenkins added four steals for NJCU, as Rowan committed 21 turnovers, giving NJCU a 31-15 advantage in points off turnovers. Battle, a sophomore power forward, was banged around all day, yet finished with 15 points (6-for-19), and game high 11 rebounds (six defensive), and three blocks. George Thomas also had 15 points (6-for-12). Hargrove had 12 points (3-for-6, 5-for-5 on free throws), and five assists.

Tylee Thomas had 13 for Rowan, despite going 3-for-11 from the floor. He did hit all six free throws he attempted. Junior guard Chris Arnold had 14 (6-for-11), while Weir added 11, including 6-of-6 from the line. Young had 10 points and 10 boards.

Rowan shot 40.9% overall (27-for-66), and outrebounded the Knights 54-47. NJCU was 33.3% from the field (27-for-81). Each team scored 34 points in the paint. The Profs held the advantage in bench scoring, 38-12.

George Fox's tailspin continues, falls to third seed
NEWBERG, Ore. — Dana Bielec's backdoor layup with 2.7 seconds left gave Whitworth a hard-fought 69-67 win against George Fox, breaking a deadlock for second place and giving the Pirates the home-court advantage for the Northwest Conference women's basketball tournament semifinal at the Wheeler Sports Center.

With the win, Whitworth finishes the regular season at 17-8 overall and 12-4 in league play, two games behind conference champion Pacific Lutheran. George Fox drops to 20-5 overall and 11-5 in the conference, into a tie for third with Puget Sound, a 60-58 winner over Willamette. However, the Bruins have the tiebreaker by virtue of splitting with UPS and PLU, while UPS lost twice to the Lutes. The loss is George Fox's third in four games.

Whitworth jumped on top 4-0 to start the game on a basket by Chrissy Oneal and two free throws by Tiffany Speer, but with Darby Cave scoring 9 points on four buckets and a free throw, the Bruins went on a 15-6 run to take the largest lead of the half, 15-10, with 14:15 left. The rest of the period was a nip-and-tuck affair, with seven ties and five lead changes. Erica Ewart's jumper broke the last tie with 1:19 left and gave the Pirates a 36-34 halftime advantage.

Speer and Sarah Shogren had 9 points each to lead the Pirates in the half, while Cave had 12 and Heather Doud 10 for the Bruins.

The second half was just as close, the biggest lead either team holding being a six-point advantage for the Bruins, 59-53, with 7:03 left after a layup by Cave. But the Pirates refused to quit, and Oneal scored back-to-back layups at 1:39 and 0:41 to give Whitworth a 67-66 lead.

Nicole Prazeau hit the first of two free throws with 0:27 left to tie it, but the Pirates rebounded the miss, brought the ball down, and called a time out with 0:14 left. The Pirates then worked the ball into the right corner where the Bruins swarmed in, but Bielec was left alone under the basket and made an easy layup for the winner.

George Fox worked the ball down quickly and got it to Prazeau for a clear 15-foot jumper on the right baseline, but the potential tying shot went in and out as the horn sounded.

Speer and Oneal scored 17 to lead the Pirates, Shogren added 12, and Ewart chipped in with 10. Speer, Oneal, and Shogren all grabbed 10 rebounds apiece as the Bruins were outrebounded by the widest margin all season, 49-37. Ewart handed out 8 assists. The Pirates also helped themselves at the line, hitting 17 of 21 (81.0%) while the Bruins cashed in only 14 of 24 (58.3%).

Cave paced the Bruins with 17 points, Doud added 14, and Prazeau tallied 12. Cave had 8 rebounds to top the Bruins on the boards.

Emory & Henry ends Guilford women's streak
EMORY, Va. — The Emory & Henry women picked up a record-setting 21st win on Saturday as they knocked off ODAC leader Guilford in a big way, beating the Quakers 77-53 on Senior Day.

Wasp seniors Jenny Gibson and Kelly Smith (left) each recorded double-doubles on the day, as the two finished their King Center careers by scoring 11 and 26 points respectively, and by pulling down 12 rebounds each.

The win, the team's 21st win this season and their 13th in a row, broke Guilford's 13 game winning streak and accounted for Emory & Henry's first 21-win basketball season.

The Wasps (21-4) have won 19 of their last 20 games heading into the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, which begins Thursday in Salem, Va.

Ithaca, Ithaca earn NCAA bids
The Ithaca men and women swept visiting Alfred on Friday night to clinch both Empire 8 titles and qualify for the NCAA playoffs.

The women's team (19-3, 11-1 Empire 8), who beat Alfred 71-55, has won three consecutive conference titles and will be playing in the NCAA playoffs for the second year in a row. The women have won 13 of their last 14.

Junior point guard Kerri Brown led Ithaca with 18 points and five assists. Freshman guard Stephanie Cleary collected 13 points and five steals off the bench and sophomore guard Jennie Swatling added 11 points and four steals. Junior center Heather Savignano added a career-high 10 rebounds off the bench. Ithaca forced 21 Saxon turnovers.

The men's team held Alfred, who had been averaging a conference-leading 72.8 points per game, to 47 points and 31.2% from the floor. Junior guard Matt Riggins scored a game-high 13 points and added six rebounds. Junior forward Will Hill added 12 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Tyler Schulz added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Schulz also held Alfred's E.J. Docteur, who had been averaging 17.3 points, to just four points, and none in the final 36 minutes. Ithaca will be making its first NCAA playoff appearance since 1993 and eighth overall. Ithaca's last conference title came in 1994.

NJAC race tightens
There are just four playoff spots in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and three of them are still up for grabs going into the final game for each team this weekend. Only Ramapo, at 12-5 in the league, has clinched a spot, with Richard Stockton, New Jersey City and Montclair State (11-6 apiece) and 2001 national runner-up William Paterson (10-7) jockeying for the final three.

Ramapo got its spot Wednesday night by defeating last-place Rutgers-Newark 80-62. William Paterson staved off elimination by beating Kean 62-52, and Richard Stockton defeated Rutgers-Camden 63-60. New Jersey City beat Montclair State 83-81 in overtime on a Samar Battle dunk with 1.4 seconds left, sweeping the season series and picking up a key tiebreaker.

Confused? Just wait. On Saturday, New Jersey City travels to Rowan, Ramapo visits Richard Stockton, Montclair hosts New Jersey, and Paterson is at Rutgers-Newark. If New Jersey City wins, they will clinch a playoff berth. If New Jersey City and Montclair State both lose and William Paterson wins, New Jersey City is the odd team out. If Monctlair wins, and New Jersey City and William Paterson both lose, the Pioneers are eliminated.

In fact, if Richard Stockton beats Ramapo at home and New Jersey City and Montclair State win, there would be a four-way tie for the top seed among all four playoff teams.

Hopefully coins won't be involved in seeding that tournament.

Notables 2003-pres.

2003 Notables
February 15-28
February 1-14
January 16-31
January 1-15

2002 Notables
December 16-31
December 1-15
November
October-early Nov.
September-October
June-August
May
March-April
February 22-28
February 15-21
February 8-14
February 1-7
January 22-31
January 15-21
January 8-14
January 1-7

2001 Notables
December 16-31
December 1-15
October-November
July-September
June
May
April
March

Notables 1998-2001

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