Posted: Mar 17, 2015
Chargers take NCAA East Regional in stunning fashion…
- Briana Bradford’s steal and basket with 4.2 seconds left was the difference as New Haven claimed the East Regional crown over Stonehill, 58-57, in a game that takes a place among the most gripping in regional tourney history. The Chargers thus advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1988 and will take on West regional kingpin Cal. Baptist in the national quarterfinals in a week in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The East Regional itself built the drama as the days went along and culminated in one of the most compelling, competitive games of this (or any) season. Let’s take a look at the proceedings from Garden City, New York, in chronological order…
Holy Family upset highlights opening day of action…
- Franklin Pierce, the #6 seed, eliminated #3 seed University of the District of Columbia, 78-66, to kick off the regional last Friday. The trio of Kara Charette (23 points, 8 boards; 9-12 FG), Natalie Bastian (22 points; 8-14 FG, 6-10 3FG) and Jessica Hurd (19 points, 13 boards) led the way for the Ravens with point guard Kate McDonald (10 assists, 1 turnover) running the show. The Firebirds, headed by the duo of Denikka Brent (21 points, 9 boards, 7 steals) and Telisha Turner (20 points) jumped on top early, 10-4, but FPU flipped that around with the next eight points (12-10, 14:40) and never trailed again. The Ravens extended the lead to 34-21 late in the first half but UDC managed to whittle it to a manageable 41-34 deficit by the interval. A 7-0 Raven surge out of the box pushed the gap to 48-34, though, and the span never left double digits. An 11-2 spell widened it to 64-45 at the 10:15 mark and the FPU advantage crested at 71-50 (6:45) before a 10-0 Firebird response (71-60, 3:01) made it a little closer. Franklin Pierce out-shot UDC handily (53%-37%), dominated the glass (46-29), made 9-20 from deep (UDC was 8-21 from three-point land) and handed out 24 assists on 30 baskets to highlight a strong offensive performance. UDC did force a dozen more turnovers (23-11) but that was not enough to tilt the balance. The Firebirds are still looking for their first NCAA tourney win since 1989 yet did end the campaign with a program-record 25 wins.
- #2 seed New Haven began its path to South Dakota with a wire-to-wire win over #7 seed Philadelphia, 69-55, scoring the first six points of the game and steadily building their lead to 36-25 by halftime. The Rams, despite good balance, could not get the margin below double digits in the second half, as the spread stayed between 11-21 points for the duration of the stanza. Briana Bradford (21 points, including her 1,000th career point; 8-15 FG, 3-8 3FG) and Aquillin Hayes (12 points, 13 boards) led the way for UNH with solid support from Rykema Stone (8 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds), Lauren Hebert (8 points, 8 boards) and Ashley LeBlanc (8 points, 7 caroms) as they ruled the boards (50-36), made all eight of their free throws tries and displayed a 15/11 assist/turnover ratio. Mary Newell (13 points, 5 boards; 6-8 FG in 17 minutes), Tori Arnao (12 points, 10 rebounds), Bria Young (12 points) and Najah Jacobs (11 points but 3-16 FG) shared the scoring for the Rams, who have not won an NCAA tournament game since 1998. New Haven, in winning its first NCAA game since 1989, beat the Rams for the first time ever (in seven tries) and moved on to the next round.
- Next up was the shocker of the day, as Holy Family became the first #8 seed in the East Region to ever win a game (13 years of this format) by eliminating host and #1 seed Adelphi, 84-79. Jill Conroy (career-high 23 points; 8-13 FG, 3-5 3FG, 4-4 FT), Erin Fenningham (21 points, 6 boards; 6-8 FG, 2-2 3FG, 7-9 FT) and Kasey Woetzel (14 points, 8 boards) topped the scoring for the Tigers as they held off a number of second half charges from the Panthers. Kelly Mannix (25 points, 6 boards; 9-19 FG, 5-12 3FG), Anh-Dao Tran (25 points, 5 boards, 5 assists; 9-19 FG, 3-11 3FG, 4-4 FT), Calli Balfour (12 points) and Sierra Clark (11 points, 5 boards) kept AU in it but could not prevent their only home loss of the season. Tran’s three-pointer to open the game proved to be Adelphi’s only lead of the game; HFU scored the next eight points and never trailed again. Another Tran trey tied it at 27 but the Tigers rattled off the next dozen points (39-27, :52) thanks to five different scorers, and rode that to a 41-33 halftime bulge. Holy Family cranked the lead to 56-40 at the 13:59 mark after a Fenningham triple capped a 12-3 spurt and another Fenningham hoop made it a 62-52 game with 10:11 left. AU rallied the troops and notched the next nine points to cut the deficit to 62-61 (8:10) but never tied it or grabbed the lead. The margin stood at 70-63 (4:53) when the Panthers made another sustained run, this time ended by a Mannix three-pointer with 2:02 left to make it 74-73, Tigers. Fenningham scored the next four points (78-73, 1:16) and from that juncture on, Adelphi never had the ball within one possession. HFU sank 7-8 at the foul line in the last minute-plus to hold off the Panthers and carve out a piece of history. Holy Family shot the ball very well all over the floor (55% FG, 7-15 3FG, 25-30 FT), fueling the upset and ensuring a visit to the second round. Adelphi shot just 39%, negating good three-point production (10-31 3FG), strong foul shooting (13-16 FT) and fine ball handling (22/12 assist/turnover ratio).
- Stonehill, the #4 seed, dispatched #5 Queens, 80-66, to complete the first day of play at the regional behind four double-digit scorers and top notch shooting (53% FG, 68% in the second half; 8-13 3FG, 18-23 FT). The Skyhawks scored eight points in a row to take the lead for keeps (10-3, 15:27) and led by as many as ten points (29-19) in the period. The Knights put up the next nine points to trim the deficit to 29-28 (1:52) but a key 8-0 flurry to end the half allowed the Skyhawks to snag a 37-28 edge at the break. From there the Skyhawks never led by less than nine points, using 8-2 and 8-0 runs to extend the margin to 59-40 (11:13) before settling for the final margin. Shannon Brown (18 points, 6 boards; 7-7 FG, 3-3 3FG, 1-2 FT) was almost flawless in leading the Stonehill attack but the likes of Kelly Martin (17 points, 7 assists, 9-11 FT), Tori Faieta (13 points, 9 boards, 5 assists) and Amy Pelletier (10 points) also chipped in nicely. Madison Rowland (21 points, 10 boards, 5 steals and 4 assists) was QC’s top threat while MacKenzie Rowland (17 points, 8 boards), Joya McFarland and Kristen Korzevinski (10 points each) also added pop to the effort. Stonehill held Queens to 38% shooting and forced five more turnovers (22-17) while dishing out 25 assists on 27 baskets. The Knights fell to 0-2 all-time in the NCAA tournament while the Skyhawks moved into the next round for the third straight season.
UNH and Stonehill prevail in hard-fought semifinal games…
- A late 14-2 burst was the key for New Haven as they dropped Franklin Pierce, 69-59, in the round of 32. A tight game throughout tilted the Chargers way in the final eight minutes thanks to the decisive run, snapping a 47-all tie and sending UNH to the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than a generation. The Ravens led for much of the first half (their largest lead was eight points) and got to the break ahead, 31-29. The teams swapped the lead for the lengthy stretch before Ashley LeBlanc’s (15 points, 13 in the second half; 11-12 FT) bucket at the 7:25 mark gave UNH the lead for good, 49-47. That kicked off the 14-2 run, during which LeBlanc scored seven points and Rykema Stone (10 points, 8 boards) collected the last five points. New Haven also hit eight foul shots in that run, part of a sharp 27-31 overall effort at the line. FPU crawled to within seven points at the 1:17 mark (64-57) but the Chargers sank 8-10 at the stripe thereafter to lock up the result. Aquillin Hayes (18 points, 12 boards; 6-14 FG, 6-7 FT) posted another double-double for UNH to supplement LeBlanc and Stone’s work. Kara Charette (14 points, 6 rebounds but only two points in the second half, and she fouled out with 4:10 left) and Natalie Bastian (14 points) led the way for the Ravens along with Alison Palma (13 points, 8 boards in 16 excellent bench minutes) and Jessica Hurd (12 points, 9 rebounds) but they could not recover once UNH dropped the killer run on them. Free throws (FPU 10-13 FT) and turnovers (UNH forced six more, 14-8) were the major areas of difference in this one, as close elsewhere on the stat sheet as it was on the floor.
- Stonehill ground out a 67-60 win over Holy Family in the other round of 32 game, ending the Tigers magical ride and wrapping up a place in the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years. Just like the game before it, this one was close all the way, with the Skyhawks keeping the Tigers at bay down the stretch to survive. Sarah Pawlak’s (11 points, 9 boards) bucket at the 8:39 mark tied the contest for the final time at 44, only to see Amy Pelletier (19 points; 7-14 FG, 3-7 3FG) drill a trey and Tori Faieta (16 points, 8 rebounds; career-high 5 rejections) score inside to send Stonehill on top, 49-44 (7:14). Pelletier’s hoop made it a 54-48 game at the 4:35 mark but Erin Fenningham dropped a trey and Jill Conroy (15 points, 6 assists) hit two foul shots to make it a 54-53 scoreline with 3:45 to go. Shannon Brown then canned a huge three-pointer (her only score of the game) to stabilize Stonehill and make it 57-53 with 3:29 left; HFU never had the ball within one possession the rest of the way. Fenningham’s steal and score with 1:05 left brought HFU within 60-57 but Stonehill kept its poise at the line for the final 42 seconds, hitting 7-8 at the stripe to nail it down. The Skyhawks had the edge in shooting (44%-37%, including 50% in the second half) and at the line (14-22; HFU 8-12 FT) in a highly-competitive game that saw both units submit positive assist/turnover ratios (Stonehill 19/12; Holy Family 17/11). The Tigers received solid work from Kasey Woetzel (12 points), Abigail Iannotti (10 points) and Reagan Jewell (career-high tying 10 boards) despite the setback while Kelly Martin (15 points, 8 boards, 8-10 FT) was again productive for the Skyhawks.
Title game worthy of its name as New Haven advances…
- Where does a report start on a game with so much on the line (New Haven had not won a regional title since 1988, Stonehill since 1995) that ended up being played as ferociously as possible? And that came down to one play in the dying seconds to provide elation and heart-break? Amazingly, neither team led by more than six points at any juncture, illustrating the nail-biting nature of the contest. That’s how engrossing this contest was, and it was that way from start to finish, ending with New Haven on top, 58-57. Stonehill led off the top, 5-0 and 9-4, but UNH popped in the next ten points to take a 14-9 lead (12:31) and set the tone for the half. Stonehill hit back with a 12-2 run, only to see New Haven rattle off eight of the next ten points to go ahead, 24-23. Eventually Stonehill entered the break on top, 33-32, but it was clear this was nowhere near being decided. Stonehill held onto the lead for more than 14 minutes once the second half got going but the largest margin was just six points, 44-38 (16:04), after a pair of Kelly Martin (12 points, 6 rebounds; 10-10 FT) free throws. Tori Faieta (19 points, 16 rebounds; 8-20 FG, 3-6 FT) hit a free throw to give the Skyhawks a 52-50 lead with 6:40 to go but Stonehill didn’t again score for more than three minutes. In the meantime, Elizabeth Cruso (8 points) canned a pair of three-pointers (5:56 and 4:26) to send the Chargers into the lead for the first time in the second half, 56-52. Paige Marshall (7 points, 5 boards) ended the Stonehill dry spell with a driving layup under duress with 3:18 left to pull the Skyhawks within 56-54 and after both teams came up with defensive stops, Marshall sank a left-corner three-pointer with 54.9 ticks left to send the Skyhawks on top, 57-56. UNH’s next trip resulted in a turnover (an offensive foul) with 35.5 seconds to go, giving the ball back to Stonehill. The Chargers managed to trap on the perimeter as the shot clock was running down and forced a turnover in the backcourt, the ball jarred free by Briana Bradford (7 points, 6 rebounds), who won the race to it near midcourt and went all the way to score a contested drive with 4.2 seconds left, putting UNH ahead, 58-57. Following a timeout, Stonehill’s last chance ended up as a good one, with Martin launching a 30-foot three-pointer from the left wing which agonizingly bounced off the iron at the buzzer. Aquillin Hayes topped the stat sheet for New Haven with her third straight double-double (21 points, 10 boards; 9-22 FG, 3-4 FT; 4 assists, 4 steals) and was awarded the Most Outstanding Player honors for her efforts. No other Charger had double digits but they had just enough support to get over the line, including Lauren Hebert (8 points, 7 boards), Rykema Stone (6 points, 4 boards), Bradford and Cruso. Faieta and Martin led the way for the Skyhawks, with Marshall, Ashley Gendron (5 points, 6 boards), Amy Pelletier and Courtney Walsh (5 points each) among the players lending depth. New Haven shot better from the field (38%-31%) while Stonehill had the edge from long-range (4-3) and at the line (15-18; UNH 3-4 FT) but the fact that the teams had identical rebound (12 offensive, 31 defensive) and assist/turnover totals (14/14 each) tells the tale, yet again, of how close this game was. New Haven moves on to the Elite Eight next Tuesday against Cal. Baptist (the West champion) in South Dakota and will try to make their mark there. Whatever happens there will in no manner diminish the shine from this magnificent game, one that rightfully takes a spot in the pantheon of great regional championship games.
LeMoyne and Dominican fall in ECAC tournament…
- While the NCAA East Regional was being played, both LeMoyne and Dominican lost in the opening round of the four-team ECAC tournament, held at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. The Dolphins were seeded second but lost to Bluefield State (#3), 76-72, with the Lady Blues scoring nine of the last eleven points of the game to advance. Alex Marple (17 points), Maggie Brown (16 points), Vandell Andrade (15 points) and Emily Greer (12 points) led a balanced LC attack that enjoyed a 15-2 first half run but trailed at the break, 41-37. LC grabbed a 53-45 lead with 12:30 to play but that was as good as it got for them. Marple’s basket with 3:22 made it 70-67 but BSC (21-7) soon tied it with three free throws. Andrade restored the Dolphin lead (72-70, 1:31) with a bucket but back-to-back hoops from Tasia Nolan (16 points, 8 boards) pushed Bluefield State ahead to stay, 74-72, with 25 seconds left. An LC turnover led to a pair of free throws from Charity Harris (24 points, 7 assists) with :08 to play and that finished it. Bluefield State ended up with the title, knocking off Lincoln in overtime, 72-70.
- Dominican lost to host Lincoln, 81-72, despite a strong rally in the second half which saw the Chargers cut a 17-point deficit to three points. DC led by as many as seven points in the first half (23-16) and held a slim 35-33 edge at the half before the Lions (22-9) fought back. Runs of 8-0, 7-0 and 10-2 helped the home team gather a 66-49 lead with 9:09 left but DC didn’t wilt. A 14-0 blitz, capped by a Shannon McGill (12 points) three-pointer, drew the Chargers within 66-63 at the 5:29 mark. That proved to be the apex of their comeback, however, as the Lions held firm and held off DC the rest of the way. Deja Gabbidon (22 points, 9 boards), Rebecca Rabiero (career-high equaling 15 points), Lisa Bouffard (14 points) and McGill led the Charger scoring while Zephra Pam (20 points, 20 rebounds), Courtney Smith (12 points) and Teira Pendleton (10 points) sparked a Lion attack which was +14 on the glass (51-37) and scored 46 points in the paint.