Women's Game Recaps #63 - 2/22/15

Posted: Feb 22, 2015

Working overtime…

  • For only the second time since the report began (2003-’04) there were four overtime games on the same day. Back on January 19, 2013, four NE-10 games went to extra sessions; yesterday, three ECC games and one NE-10 did the same. All were single OT games and had impacts on both conference playoff races.

 

  • Adelphi recovered from a 15-point second half deficit to beat Pace in OT, 82-72, in the process securing the #1 seed in NE-10 Southwest and eliminating Pace from the playoff picture. The Panthers turned the game around with a 13-1 burst, going ahead 62-59, with 1:16 to go. Christina Rubin tied it at 62 with a triple (1:03) only to have AU’s Calli Balfour (13 points) put the visitors ahead, 64-62, with 39 ticks left. Yuni Sher (16 points, 17 rebounds) forced the extra frame with a bucket in Pace’s final possession with a layin to keep the Setters alive. Adelphi dominated the overtime, though, scoring 11 of the first 13 points to grab a 75-66 lead with 3:16 left and coasted in from there. Samantha Brenner (15 points, 11 boards), Kelly Mannix (14 points, 7 rebounds), Anh-Dao Tran (13 points) and Ashley Gomez (13 points) contributed to a balanced AU effort that enjoyed a +11 in turnovers (19-8). Margo Hackett buried a career-high 29 points for Pace (9-13 FG, 5-7 3FG, 6-6 FT) while Sher and Gabriella Rubin (16 points) were also excellent. The Setters, who never trailed in the first half and led 40-30 at the half, out-3FG’d Adelphi, 10-5, but came up just short in the end. Adelphi visits New Haven on Tuesday and while UNH can claim a share of the division title, the Panthers will be the Southwest’s top seed due to tie-breakers in the event of a Charger win.

 

  • Queens came from 13 points in arrears with six minutes left to force overtime and then beat LIU Post, 63-55, to stay in a tie for 2nd place in the ECC with Roberts Wesleyan. The Knights could thank Elisabeth Gully (9 points, 6 boards) for getting them to OT, as she made a basket at :42 and a pair of foul shots with 18 ticks left to forge a 51-51 tie. QC scored the first six points of the OT (57-51, 2:21) with a Kristen Korzevinski (14 points) three-point play capping the burst. The Knights then hit 6-10 at the line over the final 1:28 to make sure of the outcome. Queens led 25-22 at the half and 27-22 early in the second period but an 11-0 jaunt by the Pioneers (including a trio of three-pointers) put the home team ahead (33-27, 14:56) and they built a 49-36 lead with 6:02 to go, only to see it come crashing down. An 11-0 Knight flurry cut the deficit to 49-47 (1:16); Kalinka DeRoche scored at the 1:12 mark to give LIU Post a 51-47 lead but they could not hold it. Madison Rowland (25 points, 13 boards) and MacKenzie Rowland (7 points, 16 boards, 6 steals) helped Korzevinski out for Queens as they forced eleven more turnovers (31-20) and made more free throws (19-32; LIU Post 12-19 FT) than their hosts. Nyasia Davis (12 points, 18 caroms), Chelsea Williams (12 points; 2-16 FG, 8-10 FT) and Quanisha Ratley (11 points) led the Pioneer attack, one that made more triples than Queens (5-19; QC 0-5 3FG) but surrendered 25 offensive rebounds.  The Pioneers stay tied with NYIT for 4th place in the ECC.

 

  • Jenna Erickson’s three-pointer at the buzzer for St. Thomas Aquinas forced overtime at Roberts Wesleyan but the Spartans couldn’t capitalize and eventually fell to the host Redhawks, 50-46. This low-scoring tilt got to the half with RWC on top, 26-20, and the team traded 8-0 runs early in the second stanza. Marissa Sell’s basket with 4:03 left sent the Redhawks to a 38-30 lead and they still led 40-33 after a pair of Necedah James (12 points) foul shots with 45 ticks left. Alyson Brennan made a basket (:35) and so did Adiya Henderson (:10) to bring the Spartans within 40-37, and when Lucy Covley (14 points, 12 boards) missed two foul shots with :05 left, STAC had a chance. Erickson then made her only bucket of the game count (1-11 FG, 1-9 3FG) to prompt overtime. James started the OT scoring with a trey (3:44) and Roberts Wesleyan never trailed from then on, although STAC did get within a point (47-46, 1:16) after a Kaitlyn McCue (14 points, 11 boards) score. Jenna Johnson matched that (:43) and James sank two more freebies (:11) to wrap up the scoring and keep RWC tied for 2nd in the ECC. Neither team shot well (RWC, 30%-25%) and three-point (STAC 4-27; RWC 1-12 3FG) and free throw accuracy (RWC 9-16; STAC 4-13 FT) was atrocious both ways. St. Thomas Aquinas, which also received 11 points from Samantha Burden, saw a three-game win streak ended but still have a half-game edge over Molloy for the final ECC playoff spot (tied the loss column).   

 

  • Raeann Stilwell (17 points, 10 boards) drilled a game-tying three-pointer with nine seconds left to send Daemen’s game with Mercy to overtime, where the Wildcats went on to claim a 79-76 decision. Daemen had led by a 55-46 count with 6:08 left but the Mavericks rallied and took a 63-60 lead after a basket from Brandone Roberts (12 points, 9 boards) with 19 seconds on the clock. Stilwell then popped up to send the contest to a bonus frame, where each team held the lead. Erin Copeland’s trey (14 points, 11 boards, 8 assists) tied the game at 74 with :48 left but Stilwell matched that twelve seconds later and Daemen never lost the lead. Nevertheless, Mercy did have the ball last with a chance to tie but treys from Copeland and Casey Sullivan missed, consigning Mercy to its fourth straight loss. A back-and-forth first half (Mercy had two 12-0 runs and Daemen had 8-0 and 7-0 spells) ended with the Mavericks ahead, 33-28, setting up a tight second period. Shy Britton (18 points, 7 boards, 6 rejections), Sarah Saba (18 points, 14 boards) and Natalie Galus (13 points, 9 caroms) joined Stilwell in leading Daemen’s offense while Tanayzha Augustine’s 29-point, 19-rebound (also 15-16 FT) outing set career-highs for her in topping Mercy. Most team stats were close including rebounding, where the Mavericks held a 61-57 edge.

 

CACC Division races to go to final week…

  • Bloomfield dealt the University of the Sciences its second straight loss, this one a 61-59 thriller in Philadelphia. The Bears, who will face Caldwell for the CACC North’s #1 seed on Tuesday (a Caldwell win would mean a series sweep and serve as the tie-breaker), led for the majority of the game but never by more than eight points. It was a 29-23 halftime lead for BC and they led 50-43 with 8:13 left before the Devils rallied. A 6-0 spurt cut the deficit to 50-49 and while the game stayed ultra-close, Sciences never took the lead. Tierra Scott (13 points, 10 boards) made a free throw at 1:23 to give Bloomfield a 60-57 edge, only to see Brianne Traub (21 points) score at the other end to make it 60-59 with :57 to go. Morgan Taylor (14 points) added another FT with 13 seconds to go (61-59), allowing the Devils a chance to tie or win on the last possession. Sciences went for the latter but Jessica Sylvester’s (11 points, 3-8 3FG) potentially game-winning trey was off the mark. Tianna Smith (12 points, 7 boards) and Ariel Wilson (10 points, 7 rebounds) also chipped in for the Bears, who had a slight advantage at the line (14-26; Sciences 8-11 FT) to help them win their sixth in succession. The Devils excelled in bench points (25-4) and shot a bit better (44%-40%) despite the result. Sciences’ CACC South lead is down to one game over Philadelphia (whom they visit on Monday) with Holy Family a game further behind.

 

  • Caldwell kept up their end of the bargain in the CACC North, holding off Wilmington in a high-scoring clash, 99-91. The host Wildcats led early on (20-11 peak) but late runs of 13-4 and 7-2 gave the Cougars a 46-43 cushion at the half. Caldwell never lost the lead, pushing it to as many as 14 points; they made 10-10 at the line in the final 1:40 to keep WU at bay and win their sixth in a row. Emily Caswell (32 points, 22 rebounds, the latter tying her career-high; 11-18 FG, 10-11 FT) was Caldwell’s fulcrum and she had help, as Nicole Angelo (15 points) and Antoinette Pilla (14 points) were among four other double digit scorers. Jasmine Lee (16 points, 7 boards), Tenicia Spence (16 points), Zameria Jones (15 points) and Cari Callaway (12 points, 6 boards, 5 assists) played well for the Wildcats, who set an NCAA-era program record for field goals made in a game (38). Caldwell did have the upper hand in shooting (55%-46%) and made more free throw line visits (24-32; WU 11-14 FT), balancing off Wilmington’s better board work (44-34) and edge in points-off-TO’s (29-11).

 

  • Philadelphia is within a game of Sciences in the CACC South after their 85-60 blowout of Concordia. Najah Jacobs posted a career-high of 31 points (10-13 FG, 5-6 3FG, 6-6 FT) to lead the Rams but it took a 17-5 spree late in the first half to give the visitors the lead for good (32-22, 2:06). It was 37-27 at the break and Philadelphia quickly put together a 19-2 bomb to widen the lead to 56-33 (12:00) after the restart, more than sufficient to guarantee the result. Monica Schacker (13 points), Bria Young and Mary Newell (11 points each) were among the support for Jacobs as the Rams made 20-22 at the stripe, grabbed seven more boards (36-29) and forced eight more miscues (19-11). Jessica Roslabo (19 points) and Kelly Ann Caravello (career-best 18 points) accounted for more than half of the Clipper points but they hardly got the line as a unit (3-3 FT) and couldn’t recover once the Rams surged ahead.

 

NE-10 Northeast starts to shape up playoff picture…

  • Stonehill and Bentley faced each other for the 100th time yesterday, this edition going to the home-standing Skyhawks, 85-71. The longtime series (started in 1974-’75 and stands 63-37 in Bentley’s favor) had the Skyhawks ahead most of the way but they had to hold off the Falcons down the stretch to finish unbeaten at home in the regular season (12-0). Stonehill led by ten points a few times in the first half but a 10-0 Bentley push tied it at 35; Stonehill, already locked in as the division champion and #1 seed, led 39-37 at the half. With the tally 43-42, Stonehill took flight, scoring 23 of 30 points over a six-minute span, establishing a 66-49 lead with 10:59 left. Tori Faieta (25 points, 16 boards) and Paige Marshall (12 points) combined for 17 of the 23 points and the hosts seemed in solid shape. Bentley went to the press to help construct a 14-4 run a little later on (Lauren Green had 8 of her 12 points in the run) to get the Falcons within six, 77-71 (2:26). That was the end of the comeback, with Kelly Martin (20 points, 6 assists) scoring the next six points to help the Skyhawks put it away. Stonehill out-shot Bentley (50%-44%), was better at the line (14-19; Bentley 7-9 FT) and in the paint (52-26) and hauled in 14 more rebounds (44-30) while also using the ball adeptly (21 assists, 12 turnovers). Jen Gemma (16 points, 9 boards) and Kelsey Mattice (11 points) lent depth for the Falcons, who made 8-16 from deep, but were still eliminated from playoff contention, meaning the NE-10 will have a new champion after four straight Falcon crowns.

 

  • Merrimack kept their hopes of a 3rd place finish in the division alive with a 53-49 nail-biter over #2 seed Franklin Pierce. The win means the Warriors and Assumption are dead even and the battle will go to the final day (although the Greyhounds do own the tie-breaker). The first half of this clash was eminently forgettable, ending 17-9 in MC’s favor. (FPU shot 3-32 from the field, 9.4%; MC was 8-28, a relatively blistering 29%). Things livened up after the restart but Merrimack never lost the lead. The Ravens came within a point (47-46) thanks to a Jessica Hurd basket with 43 ticks left but a killer Chloe Rothman (9 points) three-pointer at the :23 mark (50-46) proved to be the dagger. Cassi Amenta’s 11 points led Merrimack as they ended up shooting 38% and 15-18 at the line, making amends for eight more turnovers (23-15). Kara Charette (18 points, 9 rebounds) led the attack for the Ravens, who ended up at 32% overall.

 

  • St. Anselm kept its dreams of a playoff bid alive with an 84-72 win at Assumption, staying tied with St. Michael’s for the final playoff spot in the loop (SMC holds the tie-breaker, however). A 15-2 jaunt handed the Hawks an early 25-11 lead (10:45) and they didn’t relinquish it. St. A’s led 42-32 at the break and stretched it to 49-32 with less than two minutes played in the second period. The gap crested at 73-52 and although the Greyhounds tried to battle back (an 11-1 spell brought them within 74-63), it was too late. All five Hawk starters reached double figures, keyed by Kaila Duarte (17 points, 11 boards), Caitlin Abela (16 points, 4-6 3FG), Candace Andrews (14 points, 9 assists) and Ali Glennon (13 points, 7 rebounds), as they shot a crisp 54%, made 8-14 from deep and drilled 24-32 at the line. Jaclyn Storey’s career-highs of 20 points and 9 rebounds led the AC effort, with Kelly Carey (18 points) and Kelly Conley (11 points) also chipping in. The Hounds shot 44%, made 10-24 from long-distance and won the glass (35-29) yet proved unable to make up the early deficit.

 

  • St. Michael’s is in the driver’s seat for the final division playoff berth after they slipped by Southern New Hampshire, 68-64, eliminating the Penmen in the process. SNHU led 35-26 at halftime and 41-28 early in the second half but a 16-0 eruption sent the Purple Knights into a 44-41 lead (12:22) and set the stage for a close ending. The Penmen grabbed a 60-57 lead with 4:02 left after a Brooke Springfield (14 points) score but SMC ripped off a decisive 9-0 jag after that, Maggie Sabine (six of her 20 points) doing the damage. The ensuing 66-60 lead (:16.7) held up for the visitors, a big result in the playoff race. Makenzie Burud (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Indira Evora (15 points) were strong for SMC along with Sabine, while Vic Wiseman (17 points, 8 boards) and Kaylea Griffin (10 points, 7 caroms) supported Springfield for SNHU. Vital among the team numbers were three-pointers (SMC 5-13; SNHU 2-12 3FG) and rebounds (St. Mike’s, 40-30).   

 

NE-10 Southwest has its playoff participants but order not finalized…

  • Jackie Beathea’s basket in the paint at the buzzer handed Southern Connecticut a 65-63 win over the College of Saint Rose, assuring itself of the #3 seed in the division. The Owls led much of the first half (40-31 at the intermission) and clutched it until the Golden Knights finally caught them with 5:17 left, a Staci Barrett (17 points, 8 boards) basket giving the Golden Knights a 57-55 edge. Maria Weselyj (17 points, 6-9 FG, 5-7 3FG) scored the next five points and Beathea (17 points, 11 caroms) made a foul shot to propel the Owls into a 61-57 lead at the 3:24 mark. Saint Rose fought back to tie at 61 and a swap of buckets from Nicole Grossbard (1:42; SCSU ,63-61) and Jamie Hutcheson (7 points, 10 boards) tied it at 63 with 14 ticks left. Beathea then came up with her winning hoop, ending a three-game slide for SCSU and ending Saint Rose’s season on a down note. Sydni Lester (12 points) also had double digits for SCSU, which shot 48% overall to make up for bad foul shooting (7-17 FT) and allowing 17 Saint Rose offensive boards. Gabie Polce (15 points) helped the cause for the Golden Knights but they shot just 37% overall and also left points on the table at the line (7-13 FT).  

 

  • AIC got the drop on LeMoyne in Syracuse, 71-63, meaning the teams are dead even for 4th place in the division. The Yellow Jackets, who own the tie-breaker over the Dolphins, fell into a 25-14 first half gully but whittled the margin down to 38-35 by the break and eventually put up a 9-0 surge to take a 44-41 lead (15:22). AIC never again trailed but LC did fight back to tie it a few times. The final tie was at 51, preceding a damaging 8-0 Jacket run, sparked by Krista Ferrentino (six of her 20 points). The resulting 59-51 edge (5:06) was enough for the visitors to ride the rest of the way and claim the victory. Alyssa Roach (16 points, 9 boards, 7 assists) and Imani Stepney (13 points) supplied depth for AIC as they won the glass, 38-30. Emily Greer (20 points, 4-6 3FG), Vandell Andrade (16 points, 7 boards) and Alex Marple (12 points) led the way for LeMoyne, which shot a little better from deep (8-15; AIC 5-7 3FG) by volume but didn’t have enough to get over the hump once AIC went ahead in the second period.

 

UDC stays atop ECC; Molloy gains key victory …

  • The seemingly inexorable march to the ECC title continues for the University of the District of Columbia, who won for the twelfth straight time, this one a 70-56 dismissal of Bridgeport. Holding a slim 16-15 lead midway through the first half, the Firebirds closed the period on a 27-8 spree (43-23 at the intermission) and never looked back. The lead peaked at 61-34 and UDC rolled in, keeping their league lead at two games (loss column) over Queens and Roberts Wesleyan. Denikka Brent (16 points) and Taj Baldwin-Kollore (13 points) led the way for UDC, who smashed UB in turnovers (26-11) and points-off-TO’s (24-10) while also potting 14-18 at the line. Evelyn Ovner (15 points) and Vanessa Schindler (10 points) topped Bridgeport’s offense but despite hauling in eleven more boards (43-32), the Purple Knights went only 2-16 from three-point land and lost for the fifth straight time.

 

  • Molloy picked up a valuable win over NYIT, 88-77, to close in on St. Thomas Aquinas for the final ECC playoff spot. The Lions, led by the quartet of Nicole Arnone (23 points), Ally Leftridge (18 points, 8 boards), Megan Lonergan (11 points) and Allison Smith (10 points, 11 boards), never trailed and shot a sensational 61% in the first half (19-31 FG, 7-10 3FG) on the way to a 53-40 lead. The Bears came within nine points a few times in the second half but the margin proved too much to overcome. Julie Williams (23 points, 8 boards), Shanice Allen (16 points), Dina Ragab (11 points) and Shannon Duer (10 points) kept NYIT ticking but they were heavily out-shot (48%-30%) and out-rebounded (52-41) by the Lions. Molloy also had a 42-16 bench scoring edge, balancing off eleven more mistakes (30-19 in turnovers). NYIT has lost three in a row and remains tied with LIU Post for 4th place in the ECC. 

 

CACC wrap-up …

  • Holy Family looks ticketed for 3rd place in the CACC South after their 93-56 blitz of Nyack. A 24-4 first half flurry helped the Tigers establish a 53-26 halftime lead and they poured it on, leading by as many as 41 points (85-44, 7:10) on the way to the win. Six HFU players reached double digits, led by Abigail Iannotti (16 points), Kasey Woetzel (14 points), Jacqueline Kennedy (13 points) and Sarah Pawlak (12 points). Raven Makins (23 points, 9 boards) carried the load for the Warriors but had little aid. HFU dominated in shooting (53%-34%), rebounds (47-35) and free throws (18-23; Nyack 11-20 FT), among other things. The Tigers still have a shot at finishing higher but will need help.

 

  • Dominican is all set as the #3 seed in the CACC North after their 88-72 win over Goldey-Beacom. The Lightning is also locked into their playoff slot (#4 in the CACC South) but didn’t have enough to quell the Chargers here, falling into a 46-31 halftime hole. GBC trimmed the arrears to 56-49 (12:06) but a 12-3 response from the Chargers (68-52, 6:28) ended any lingering doubts about this one. Deja Gabbidon (25 points, 12 boards) led the DC charge while Lisa Bouffard (17 points) and Rebecca Rabiero (15 points) also contributed nicely. Lexi Bruno (19 points), Lillian Chukwueze (19 points, 9 caroms), Reighly Melochick (15 points) and Britani Bryson (13 points, 10 boards) did the bulk of the scoring for the Lightning. Dominican’s shooting (54%-34%) proved the decisive stat here as they won their fourth consecutive game.

 

  • Post is the #4 seed in the CACC North, notching an 85-79 win over Georgian Court in Waterbury. The Eagles led most of the first half but watched the Lions rattle off a 17-2 burst to claim a 43-34 halftime edge. The GCU lead was 62-47 (12:02) before the home team got hot, putting together a 13-0 run to draw within 62-60 (8:38). Post kept coming and took the lead at the 1:52 mark, 71-70, Dericka Sims (16 points) doing the honors. The teams traded the lead and it was even at 76 when Nicole Viselli (12 points, 3-12 3FG) hit the key shot of the game, a trey with 36 seconds left, to hand Post a 79-76 lead. The Eagles hit 6-8 at the line the rest of the way to salt the win away. Deaisia Acklin (26 points, 10 boards; 8-15 FG, 10-12 FT) powered the Eagles as they had a pronounced edge at the line (19-31; GCU 7-10 FT) and forced seven more turnovers (28-21). Kiara Colston (20 points, 8 boards), Morgan Peacock (17 points, 11 boards), Tahira Matthews (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Jess Placher (11 points) led the way for the Lions in a valiant, if losing, effort.

 

  • Chestnut Hill picked up a 76-68 win over Felician in a game featuring two teams out of CACC playoff contention. The host Griffins jumped to a fast lead (18-2, 28-11) and held a 37-24 halftime edge but the Golden Lions didn’t roll over. Felician chopped the gap to 39-35 early in the second half and although CHC pushed it back to 50-36 (11:15) after an 11-1 run, the Golden Falcons were not done. They closed to within four points on a few occasions in the late going, the last at 72-68 (:38), but came no closer. Olivia Gorczynski (19 points, 4-8 3FG), Nina Mazzarelli (17 points), Tiffany Turner (13 points) and Tenisha Townsend-Mobley (11 points) led the scoring for the Griffins as they shone from deep (8-16 3FG) and prompted eight more turnovers (20-12), leading to an 18-9 margin in points-off-TO’s. Mary Chisholm (carer-high 25 points; 10 boards, 9-12 FG, 7-8 FT) was immense for Felician, with Ashley Morris (19 points, 9 rebounds) and Eliana Scanlon (19 points, 8-10 FT) adding support.