Posted: Feb 11, 2015
CACC South provides the out-of-the-ordinary…
- One of the more bizarre endings to a game this season took place last night in Newark and it allowed the University of the Sciences to escape a huge upset bid against Wilmington, 57-56. Kaitlyn Schmid made a foul shot with 10.1 seconds left to put the Devils ahead, 56-53, but Wildcat Taylor Carter sank a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds on the clock (her only points, incidentally) to even the contest at 56. In the celebration, Wilmington was assessed a technical foul for a player running onto the court. Jessica Sylvester made one of the two ensuing FT’s to send the Devils into a 57-56 lead. As Sciences was preparing to inbound the ball after the free throw, Wilmington was assessed another technical foul. They tried to enter a player off the bench and when that was denied due to the player not reporting to the scorer’s table in time, the argument produced another T. Sciences actually missed both of the foul shots that went along with the second technical but it didn’t matter, as they inbounded the ball without incident this time and ran the clock out. The wacky ending slightly overshadowed what was almost a stunning upset, as Wilmington fought the Devils tooth-and-nail all night. The teams traded strong periods of play in the first half, which ended on a 9-3 Devil run and a 29-26 lead. Sciences pushed the margin to 40-33 (14:22) before Wilmington came back thanks to a 14-2 jaunt, grabbing a 47-42 lead at the 5:46 mark. Sciences scored 13 of the next 17 points to claim a 55-51 lead, capped by a Schmid trey, but WU caught them with the Carter triple, setting in motion the wild ending sequence. Brianne Traub (19 points, 11 boards) and Isabella Ross (14 rebounds) led the Devils to the win, their 16th in a row, extending their program record. Cari Callaway (13 points) was Wilmington’s best scorer with Tenecia Spence (11 points) and Zameria Jones (10 points) adding depth. Sciences had a rare poor shooting day (32% FG, 7-30 3FG, 8-19 FT) but held Wilmington to just under 40% from the field at the other end and, based on other results, widened their CACC South lead in the process.
- On any other night, the fact that Chestnut Hill beat Philadelphia for the first time ever would take top billing. The Griffins rolled over the Rams, 82-73, in a game where they never trailed and shot a program-record 57.9% from the field. Tiffany Turner (career-highs of 26 points and 17 rebounds; 11-14 FG, 4-6 FT) led the attack for CHC but she had plenty of help in the forms of Shayla Felder (20 points), Tenicia Townsend-Mobley (14 points, 7 boards, 6 assists) and Nicole Parriski (12 points). The Griffins ended the first half with a 13-1 rush to take a 37-23 lead at the break (they shot 65.4% in the first stanza) and fended off a series of Philadelphia runs in the second period. The Rams closed to within 41-37 (15:58) and later on came within three points (60-57, 7:39) but never any closer. CHC ended the contest by canning 9-10 at the foul line in the final 1:05 to ice their first win over the Rams after 15 straight defeats. Monica Schacker tossed in a career-high 26 points (8-17 FG, 5-9 3FG, 5-6 FT) to lead the Rams, while Najah Jacobs (18 points) and Bria Young (14 points) also provided double digits. Chestnut Hill was +10 on the glass (44-34), shot well at the line (15-18 FT) and held Philadelphia to just 33% from the field in a solid overall performance that kept their playoff embers burning. Philadelphia, meanwhile, lost ground in the CACC South and is just a shade ahead of Holy Family for 2nd place.
- As it turned out, Holy Family’s rout over Georgian Court, 87-44, is left as back-page news in the CACC South, but the Tigers played very well in this one, especially in the second half. A modest 29-20 halftime lead blossomed into a 44-24 edge less than five minutes after the restart (15:35) and they rolled from there. HFU put up 58 points in the final frame, leading by as many as 43 points (76-33, 6:45) on the way. Sarah Pawlak (15 points) and Kylie Giedemann (12 points) topped four double-digit scorers for the Tigers, which shot 45% overall and used the ball wonderfully (26 assists, 7 turnovers). In fact, their 24-7 turnover bulge led to a 26-5 plus in points-off-TO’s, one of a number of positive areas for HFU. Morgan Peacock (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Tahira Matthews (14 points, 14 boards) were the pillars for the Lions but the rest of the team supplied a mere nine points among them. GCU shot only 29% from the floor and hit just 5-10 at the line, as well. Holy Family’s win gets them into a virtual tie with Philadelphia for 2nd place in the CACC South with idle Goldey-Beacom lurking right behind them.
NE-10 Southwest leaders win while the Northeast playoff race heats up…
- Adelphi slid past AIC, 76-70, in Garden City, to stay a step ahead of New Haven atop the NE-10 Southwest. The Panthers never trailed, leaping to a 16-4 lead (13:24), but the Yellow Jackets proved stubborn opposition and fought back to tie it at 24. AU closed the period with a 12-5 surge (36-29) and held a single digit lead for the entirety of the second half. AIC crawled to within two points on a few occasions, the last being 68-66 with 2:01 left after a Krista Ferrentino (25 points, 9 rebounds) basket. Calli Balfour’s (23 points, 11 rebounds) three-point play at the 1:25 mark made it 71-66 and the Panthers never held less than a two-possession lead thereafter, nailing down their sixth straight victory. Anh-Dao Tran (19 points) and Kelly Mannix (12 points) both added solid outings for Adelphi, which shot 48% and dropped in 13-14 at the line. Brianna Bishop (16 points) provided support for AIC, as they shot 44% and won the glass battle (38-31). AIC remains tied for 4th place in the NE-10 Southwest with LeMoyne, a game ahead of both Pace and the College of Saint Rose in the loss column.
- New Haven pulled away from LeMoyne late in the game to post an 80-64 NE-10 Southwest win, its seventh straight success. The Chargers led by a slim 59-57 margin with 8:10 to play but exploded for the next 15 points (74-57, 3:48) to put the outcome beyond doubt. Until then the contest was a good one. The Dolphins used a 17-0 run, populated by five three-pointers (three from Emily Greer), to claim an early 23-7 lead but the Chargers constructed 10-0 and 8-0 runs to cut the deficit to 36-34 by halftime. LC led 52-45 when UNH put together a 14-2 run (UNH, 59-54, 9:00), a harbinger of things to come. After Maggie Brown’s three-point play, New Haven racked up the next 15 points, so overall it was a 29-5 spell that decided the result. Aqullin Hayes (23 points, 9 rebounds), Bria Moore (14 points, 7 boards) and Briana Bradford (13 points, 9-10 FT) topped five UNH double-digit scorers while Alex Marple (17 points), Bath-Sheba McMahon (17 points, 7 rebounds) and Greer (11 points, 14 caroms) keyed the LeMoyne effort. UNH had a huge edge at the line (26-34; LC 11-16 FT), the major team stat difference.
- Catherine Stinson’s buzzer-beating three-pointer was the killer blow in Manchester, as Southern New Hampshire beat Franklin Pierce in double overtime, 65-64. That was the denouement to a tight game throughout, as SNHU snapped a five-game slide and got back into the NE-10 Northeast playoff mix. The Penmen scored the final ten points of the first half (FPU was scoreless for the final 6:29) and led 28-25 at the break but the Ravens came back to take the lead in the second period, peaking at 44-37 (10:47). A 7-0 SNHU spurt tied the game at 44 (8:43) and it remained ultra-close. Vic Wiseman’s (19 points, 9 boards) bucket with 2:16 left knotted the game at 55 for SNHU, the last score of regulation. Each team mustered only two points during the first OT, Brooke Springfield (14 points) scoring early for SNHU (4:26) and Jessica Hurd (18 points, 12 boards) scoring late for FPU (:59). The second overtime saw ties at 58, 60 and 62, the final one broken by a Kara Charette (12 points, 8 rebounds) basket with 53 ticks left. Stinson ended proceedings with her game-winner, though, allowing SNHU to draw within a half-game of idle St. Anselm for the final playoff berth. Sara Ryan added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Penmen, who hit 6-9 from three-point land as a team, a much more efficient effort than their guests (FPU 6-21 3FG). Natalie Bastian (11 points, 7 boards) was the third Raven in double figures but they were awful at the line as a team (2-13 FT), which wrecked their chances. Franklin Pierce stayed in 2nd place in the division yet sit closer to 3rd place than 1st place. The last time SNHU won a 2OT game was on February 18, 2006, when they ironically beat Franklin Pierce. As for the Ravens, they have not won a multiple-overtime in more than a decade, having dropped their last four such contests.
- Bentley rode a 22-2 2nd half explosion to a 59-54 win at Merrimack, keeping their playoff hopes alive and well in the NE-10 Northeast. Jen Gemma tied her career-high with 31 points to lead the Falcons (she also had 13 rebounds, shot 10-22 from the floor and 11-17 at the line), who faced a 45-35 deficit with 11:29 left in the game. Gemma notched 15 points in the decisive burst, which ended with the Falcons on top, 57-47 (2:13). The Warriors fought back with the next seven points (57-54, :28) but Gemma and Kelsey Mattice made single free throws thereafter to ice the win. Aria Johnson (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Ashley Weissmann (10 points) provided the most scoring pop for Merrimack. Bentley shot better (42%-37%) and got to the line more often (21-33; MC 12-18 FT), making amends for going 0-4 from three-point land (Merrimack made 4-15 from deep). The Falcons are tied with SNHU, a half-game behind St Anselm for the final playoff spot, while Merrimack id dead-even with Assumption for 3rd place in the loop.
CACC North leaders collect solid wins…
- Bloomfield got back onto the winning track with an 85-66 win over Felician to stay marginally ahead of Caldwell atop the CACC North. Tianna Smith (24 points, 4-5 3FG), Morgan Taylor (20 points, 8 boards, 7 assists), Tierra Scott (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Lauren Develin (13 points, 6 boards) led the way for the Bears, who took the lead for keeps with an 11-0 spell midway through the first half (21-13, 6:45). BC held a 36-24 halftime edge and slowly built the lead from there. Felician’s highlight on the night belonged to Ashley Morris (20 points, 9 boards), who passed Trina Plummer to become the Golden Falcons all-time top rebounder (686 and counting). Eliana Scanlon added 18 points for Felician but they had no serious response in the second half. BC had the upper hand in shooting (47%-43%), rebounds (42-32), turnovers (23-16) and three-pointers (6-4) to highlight their superiority.
- Caldwell kept pace with Bloomfield by smashing Post, 107-61, the most points the Cougars have scored in more than a decade. The guests never trailed, blowing out to a 22-5 lead just over three minutes into the game (16:52). It was a 53-32 halftime count and although the Eagles chipped the lead down to 58-45 with 14:45 left, they had no traction. Caldwell enjoyed separate 11-0, 12-0 and 16-0 runs in the second half to run away with the game and saddle Post with their second 100+point allowed game of the year (Southern Connecticut dropped one on Post in mid-December). Emily Caswell (26 points, 15 boards) earned her Division II-leading 19th double-double of the year to lead the charge but she had plenty of help, including Antoinette Pilla (15 points), Lisa Rovatsos (12 points) and Nicole Angelo (11 points). Deaisia Acklin (15 points) was the only Eagle to reach double figures. Caldwell, unsurprisingly, had the edge in most team stat categories, including shooting (52%-36%), three-pointers (10-20; Post 5-13 3FG), points-in-the-paint (58-34) and turnovers (25-11), the latter leading to a 33-13 advantage in points-off-TO’s. Post still holds the final CACC North playoff spot but only by a half-game over Concordia.
- Speaking of Concordia, the Clippers shaded Nyack, 66-64, thanks to Lisa Rosalbo’s (13 points) basket with four seconds left, ending an eight-game losing skid and vaulting them back into the post season picture. The game was about as tight as possible (18 ties and 12 lead changes) with neither team leading by more than seven points at any juncture. The Warriors led 9-2 off the top (there’s that seven-point gap) but the game was tied at halftime, 36-each. Tori Trador’s bucket with 1:18 to go pulled Nyack even at 64 for the final time but Rosalbo’s tie-breaker avoided overtime and pulled Concordia within a half-game of a CACC North playoff place. Alyssa Gatti’s three-point try at the buzzer missed, leaving Nyack achingly shy. Khadijah Donaldson’s career-high 16 points (5-6 FG, 6-6 FT) led the Concordia scoring, with Rosalbo and Julianne Wilkinson (11 points) adding depth. The Clippers got more than half of their points off the bench (Donaldson and Wilkinson had 27 of their 37 bench points) and they shot better overall (46%-36%) to bolster their case. Jamie McKeither (16 points, 8 boards, 10-16 FT) and Raven Makins (15 points, 10 rebounds, 7-10 FT) provided the bulk of the Nyack numbers. The Warriors got to the line twice as often as Concordia but didn’t take advantage sufficiently (23-36; Concordia 14-18 FT).
Poll Info…
- The WBCA/USA Today Division II poll was released yesterday with Adelphi up one spot to #8 and Stonehill staying put at #15. New Haven and UDC remain in the ‘Others Receiving Votes’ category. The full poll can be seen at http://www.wbca.org/pages/POLLS_d2_2014-15_021015
- D2SIDA’s version of the Division II poll also came out yesterday with Adelphi up a place to #7, Stonehill down a half-spot to #13 and New Haven dropping four notches to #24. UDC also received votes. The entire poll can be checked out at http://www.goskyhawks.com/news/2015/2/9/WBB_0209151031.aspx