Posted: Feb 18, 2015
No surprises in CACC action…
- Bloomfield dumped Post, 81-48, to retain their lead atop the CACC North and win for the fourth straight time. The Bears put together 9-0 and 11-0 first half surges to help build a 40-24 halftime gulf and opened the second period on a 15-3 spree to make it 55-27 (16:06), all but putting the game to bed. Tianna Smith (22 points, 11-16 FG), Ariel Wilson (13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals) and Tierra Scott (10 points, 8 boards) led the charge for BC, which abused the Eagles in turnovers (31-11), dominated in points off those giveaways (40-11) and rolled in the paint (46-14). No Eagle scored more than eight points (Dericka Sims and Nicole Viselli) as they were out-shot (46%-32%), along with everything else. Post did at least get to the line more often but didn’t take full advantage (Post 18-32; BC 10-17 FT). The Bears stay a half-game ahead of Caldwell (one in the loss column) for the CACC North lead while Post, despite the setback, is certain of the last playoff spot in the division based on other results.
- Keeping up their end of the bargain, Caldwell won its fifth consecutive game, leading from start-to-finish over Concordia, 82-42. The Cougars led by as many as 19 points in a first half which ended in their favor, 39-26. A 10-0 jumpstart to the second half made it 49-26 and set up Caldwell to cruise the rest of the way. Emily Caswell (16 points, 11 rebounds), Lisa Rovatsos (12 points), Kristen Drogsler (11 points) and Antoinette Pilla (10 points) led the line for the Cougars as they shot a crisp 53% overall, made 7-18 from long-range, hit 13-14 at the line and used the ball neatly (24 assists, 10 turnovers). Jessica Rosalbo (11 points) and Selbe Lo (9 points, 9 boards) topped the Clipper attack but they shot just 35%, almost never saw the foul line (2-3 FT) and had a tough night with the ball (9 assists, 21 miscues), leading to their elimination from the CACC North playoff picture.
- Dominican pulled away in the second half to beat Felician, 89-67, virtually locking up the #3 seed in the CACC North. The Chargers flipped a 21-16 deficit midway through the first period with a 24-7 run (they led 44-36 at the break) and fended off the Golden Falcons in the final stanza. Felician chipped the margin down to 44-38 at the onset of the second half but an 8-0 spurt, capped by treys from Jacqueline Rywalt and Shannon McGill, pushed the DC lead to 52-38 (18:19); it never left double digits the rest of the night. Deja Gabbidon (24 points, 11 rebounds) was the top threat for Dominican with good support from Lashonda Hathorne (15 points, 7 assists) and Stefani Alston (11 points, 5 caroms). Ashley Morris (career-high 29 points; 12 rebounds), Mary Chisholm (12 points) and Shyla Osmond (11 points) topped the Golden Falcon effort. Dominican had the better of things from the floor (50%-38%), behind the three-point arc (10-23; Felician 1-8 3FG) and off the glass (46-34), off-setting Felician’s more frequent trips to the line (Felician 20-29; DC 9-12 FT). The Golden Falcons have been eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
- Strong performances from Nina Mazzarelli (23 points, 4-8 3FG, 6 boards), Tenisha Townsend-Mobley (21 points, 6 assists) and Tiffany Turner (16 points, 13 rebounds) propelled Chestnut Hill to a 77-60 CACC South win at Georgian Court. The host Lions, led by Kiara Colston (22 points, 14 boards), Morgan Peacock (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Tahira Matthews (10 points, 11 board), held a 35-34 halftime lead but it quickly dissipated in the second period. A 15-0 Griffin explosion turned the game in their favor for good, flipping a 46-42 deficit into a 57-46 lead with 11:54 to play. GCU had a few mini-runs at the Griffins thereafter but CHC held firm to annex the win. Shooting (43%-36%) and free throw (20-27; GCU 4-10 FT) advantages were keys for Chestnut Hill, helping to overcome a -9 on the glass (49-40).
LC nipped in tight non-league encounter…
- Vandell Andrade (17 points, 8 boards) scored her 1,000th career point for LeMoyne but the Dolphins were edged at Gannon, 74-71, in a close non-league clash in Erie last night. The Golden Knights (18-6, tied for 5th in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Regional rankings) are a bear on its home floor, having now won 39 of their last 41 games at the Hammermill Center, but LC had the better of the game in the first half, leading by as many as a dozen points on the way to a 42-32 halftime lead. Emily Greer’s (17 points, 4-8 3FG) trey pushed the Dolphins into a 45-32 lead at the start of the second half but Gannon responded with a 10-0 burst, fueled by Molly Sebald (8 of her game-high 19 points), to cut the arrears to 45-42 (17:22). Andrade, who played two years at Division III Rhode Island College before transferring to LeMoyne, scored at the 14:16 mark to widen LC’s lead to 53-46 but again Gannon fought back. This time a 14-0 bomb put the Golden Knights ahead to stay, 60-53, with 10:46 left. The Dolphins managed to get back to within a point (61-60, 6:54) after an Alex Marple basket (14 points) and were still within a possession down the stretch thanks to a Tessa Pucello trey with 30 ticks left, 74-71. Gannon’s Amanda Berchtold missed two at the line six seconds later to keep the door ajar for LeMoyne but both Pucello (:10) and Greer (:02) missed potentially game-tying three-pointers, ending LC’s hopes. Brittany Batts (16 points) and Nettie Blake (15 points) added depth for the winners, who shot 52% from the floor, including 61% in the second half. LeMoyne also shot well (51%; 60% in the first half) and had a three-point edge (9-6) but still fell short.
Polls…
- The new WBCA/USA Today Division II National Poll came out yesterday with Stonehill rising five places to #10 and Adelphi dropping four spots to #12. New Haven and UDC are the top two teams in the ‘Others Receiving Votes’ category (basically #26-27) while the University of the Sciences received votes for the first time this season. The poll can be viewed at http://www.wbca.org/pages/POLLS_d2_2014-15_021715
- The new D2SIDA National Poll was released yesterday with Stonehill (#8, up five spots) the highest-ranked team from the East Region. Adelphi dropped five spots to #12 while New Haven went up three notches to #21. UDC is again in the ‘Others Receiving Votes’ category. The full poll is at http://www.goskyhawks.com/news/2015/2/16/WBB_0216153042.aspx