Notables

By D3sports.com

Yes, they've got arguably the best center in the country, in 6-3 senior Hillary Klimowicz, the former Atlantic-10 rookie of the year at Division I St. Joseph's (Pa.), but there's a lot more to The College of New Jersey women's basketball team than that. The culmination of Klimowicz's three-year run at the school is this appearance in the national semifinals.

Unranked TCNJ started 3-3 but has won 24 of its last 25 games. They've won four straight away from Ewing, N.J., in the NCAA Tournament against ranked opponents to get to a meeting with No. 3 George Fox. That included a rally from 11 points down with 9:22 left to beat Tufts in the second round and a comeback from an early 10-point deficit to win at Rochester in the round of 16.

Longtime coach Dawn Henderson admitted that the Lions won ugly in their quarterfinal matchup with Scranton, Though they made only five second-half field goals, they held the Lady Royals to just five as well, and were able to erase a three-point deficit in the final four minutes, scoring their last 11 points from the foul line.

The team has taken great strides since the 3-3 start, during which Klimowicz missed time due to a rib injury, and great strides from a 13-14 season two years ago. Last year's team got to the second round of the NCAAs before losing to Mary Washington and its star center Liz Hickey.

This year, it was Klimowicz's time to rise.

"When you looked at us on paper before the season and saw the experience we had, I believed it was well within our ability to get to the Final Four," said Henderson "When we were 3-3, I wasn't as sure. We felt like we were out of sync and I wasn't sure what was going to get us out. But the players figured it out. They've worked really hard to live up to that potential."

Adjustments were made and players rose to the challenge. The team swapped out its man defense for a matchup zone, which with Klimowicz or 6-1 junior Alexandra Gregorek in the middle, made things miserable for opponents. Offensively, Henderson has described to several media outlets how her squad learned to play through Klimowicz rather than to her, a la Oklahoma and star center Courtney Paris.

"Everything is led by Hillary, but it's not a one-man show," Henderson said.

Indeed others have played very significant roles in this run. Sophomore guard Keri Washington hit a couple of shots against Tufts that sparked the Lions comeback. Point guard Nicole Diaz, who missed the first semester's worth of games, had 14 points and five assists in the Rochester win, and Gregorek chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds. Diaz's backup, Karen Lassoni, hit the free throws that clinched the Scranton win. Gregorek, Kelsey Kutch, and Alyssa Michella are all averaging double figures in scoring, with Michella among the nations leaders with 80 3-pointers.

As for Klimowicz, she is averaging 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, shooting 69 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line. Her two assists per game are misleading because opposing coaches have noted that she is a fantastic passer as well.

"She brings her basketball, but she also brings that intangible of leadership," Henderson said. "During the season she often gives the team quizzes on scouting reports, or on things we learned that day. They actually take a pop quiz. She understands what it takes to prepare and that rubs off on her teammates.

"Hillary just plays at a different level, but she's the same in that everybody in the program, including her, has worked hard and tried to improve."

They've all improved significantly from Klimowicz's sophomore year, when there was the expectation she was going to take over the program and dominate. Instead, a foot injury limited her minutes. There was a valuable lesson that came with the struggles this season, one that they can apply against an undefeated opponent.

"That year I learned how to lose, and how to build upon that," Klimowicz said. "The others who experienced that first year with me, we don't want to feel that way again. That gives us extra incentive. This has been a great ride and I couldn't ask for anything more."