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Terre Haute

Coverage of the women's
NCAA Tournament

2002 season

By Ray Martel, D3hoops.com

UW-Stevens Point 67, St. Lawrence 65

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Sophomore forward Cassandra Heuer came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points, including four crucial free throws in the final minutes, as UW-Stevens Point held off St. Lawrence 67-65 to win the NCAA Division III women’s basketball championship Saturday night at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Stevens Point (30-3) led for all but the first two minutes of the game and enjoyed a 37-25 lead at halftime. However, St. Lawrence (28-4) slowly cut into the margin throughout the second 20 minutes and actually had a chance to win the game when guard Cara Barbierri stole an inbounds pass and missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Making 71% of its shots (10 of 14) in the first half, Stevens Point moved on top 18-11 in the first five minutes of the game. That helped give the Pointers their comfortable hafltime cushion.

That’s when St. Lawrence started making its opponent add points from the foul line. Coach G.P. Gromacki’s strategy was successful as the Saints slowly cut into the lead as Stevens Point made only one of two free throws on three successive trips to the free throw line.

With 1:27 left Stevens Point’s lead had shrunk to one point, 64-63, after six straight St. Lawrence points on a basket by Megan Dietrichsen and four free throws by Aliza Bogdanovich and Jessica Zuk. A jump shot in the lane by Heuer and a free throw by Andrea Kraemer pushed the Pointers on top again by four points, 67-63, with less than 10 seconds left.

A rebound basket by Barbierri closed the gap to the final two-point margin, 67-65, with little more than one second left. After a timeout, Barbierri picked off Amie Schultz's inbounds pass and put up a frantic 3-pointer that glanced off the backboard.

“I could think of no better way to end a career,” said Pointers’ senior Kari Groshek, who totaled 12 points and nine rebounds in the title game. “It’s a dream come true. To win this is unbelievable.”

"The defense we played in the first half isn't the defense we play," said Barbierri, who made the All-Tournament Team. "It's tough going out as a senior with that being your last shot. But we got that shot, and that was important to us. We came back and had a chance to win, and that was important to all of us."

“The darn thing (pass) went like a duck and I thought, ‘Oh my God,’.” said UW-Stevens Point Shirley Egner, whose team never relinquished the lead in the second half. “Somebody was looking out for us tonight. The play was diagrammed, but the pass just didn’t get any air.”

Heuer’s 17 points led Stevens Point, while Carry Boehning added 15 points. Barbierri and Megan Dietrichsen each scored 16 points to lead St. Lawrence, which made 24 of 27 free throws, including 16 of 19 in the second half.

UW-Stevens Point was ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, but did receive one first-place vote. St. Lawrence was ranked No. 12. Marymount was ranked 11th, while DePauw was first among others receiving votes after Lindsey Rush tore her ACL and was expected out for the season. It's the second women's basketball national title for the Pointers, following their championship in 1987.

DePauw defeated Marymount 65-58 to capture third-place honors in the national tournament.

All-Tournament Team MVP Carry Boehning, UW-Stevens Point Cara Barbierri, St. Lawrence Megan Dietrichsen, St. Lawrence Lindsey Rush, DePauw Tara Schmitt, UW-Stevens Point

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