Posted: Mar 03, 2016
- The ECC first round was in the spotlight on Wednesday night with a pair of first round games to check out, one of which was an instant classic…
- Tatyana Calhoun’s free throws with :00.5 to go gave the University of the District of Columbia a heart-stopping win over St. Thomas Aquinas, 69-68, to claim a spot in the ECC semifinals. This thrilling game featured an astonishing 16 ties and 22 lead changes and the teams were never separated at any juncture by more than four points. The Firebirds led by that margin after one period (19-15) but the Spartans pulled even by the half at 35. It was a 55-54 STAC advantage after three frames, setting the stage for a dramatic final quarter. Taj Baldwin-Kollore (13 points) posted the initial five points of the period to send UDC ahead, 59-55, only to see Jenna Erickson (28 points, 9-18 FG, 7-13 3FG) bury a pair of three-pointers to put the Spartans on top, 61-59. They continued to swap the lead with Erickson drilling another trey with 56 seconds remaining to give STAC its last lead, 68-67. UDC turned it over on their next possession but STAC was unable to use it, missing twice on its next trip. Arielle Ward’s shot for the Firebirds on the ensuing foray missed but Calhoun was in the right spot for an offensive board and was fouled, leading to the decisive foul shots. Iman Scott (17 points), Brandi Henton (17 points), Calhoun (10 points) and Baldwin-Kollore shared the load for the Firebirds, who shot 46%, won the glass (35-26) and were perfect at the stripe (11-11 FT). Erickson had assistance from Alyson Brennan (12 points) and Alex Bertolino (11 points) for the gallant Spartans, who shot 43% and canned 14-25 from deep. The Firebirds move on to face Queens in the ECC semifinals, which are being hosted on UDC’s own floor this weekend.
- Roberts Wesleyan snared the last ECC semifinal slot by rubbing out Molloy in a defensive battle in Rochester, 54-38. Samantha Courtney (20 points, 13 rebounds) posted her 19th double-double of the campaign to lead the Redhawks effort as they assumed the lead by the end of the first quarter (14-10) and never let go. The Lions struggled for offense all night, especially in the middle two frames, when they scored a mere ten total points. RWC led at the break, 25-17, and held Molloy to 1-14 field goal shooting in the third period, extending the margin to 38-20 in the process. That proved more than enough, especially considering the Redhawks stitched together a 12-0 burst spanning the third and fourth quarters to take a 41-20 edge. Taylor Bynoe (13 boards) and Lucy Covely (11 rebounds) played well for RWC on the glass, part of a 61-42 rebound bulge enjoyed by the home team. Kimani Jackson (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Ally Leftridge (11 points, 10 caroms) keyed the Molloy offense in a game that saw both teams shoot terribly (RWC 29%, Molloy 23%), misfire from three-point range (RWC 4-25; Molloy 1-17 3FG) and have foul shooting issues (RWC 13-21; Molloy 4-8 FT) yet take care of the ball well (only 18 overall turnovers, split evenly). The Redhawks, winners of their first ECC tournament game, now face top seed NYIT in the semifinals on Saturday.
- The Division II national polls came out this week with AIC and Bentley both receiving votes in the WBCA/USA Today Sports version. In the D2SIDA media poll, AIC (#14) and Bentley (#20) are in the top 20 with NYIT among those receiving votes.
- The more critical NCAA Division II East Regional poll was released yesterday, with Bentley (#1) and AIC (#2) still atop the pack; Philadelphia (#3), NYIT (#4) and Holy Family (#5) round out the top five. St. Anselm, Queens, Bloomfield, UDC and Caldwell complete the top ten. This is the final regional poll prior to the announcement of the NCAA tournament field on Sunday night.