• The CACC playoff field is set after Saturday’s action and ECC champion St. Thomas Aquinas ended their regular season with a flourish, as well. Let’s start with a virtual CACC playoff game in Delaware…
• Goldey-Beacom ended the tilt on a 17-5 run to beat Wilmington and claim the #4 seed in the CACC South Division. The Wildcats led for much of the contest and held a 64-56 edge with 6:12 to go when the Lightning got hot. In particular, Amanda McGrogan (26 points; 10-18 FG, 6-9 FT) heated up, scoring a dozen of the GBC points in the closing 17-5 surge, at one juncture netting eight in a row. Within that span, McGrogan put the Lightning ahead, 68-66, with 2:51 left and they closed it out from there. Sarah Round (14 points), Tanner-Turner Rush (13 points) and Alexis Harrison (12 points, 8 boards) also chipped in for the Lightning, who will travel to the #1 North Division seed, Dominican, for a Tuesday quarterfinal clash. Nyree Grant (20 points, 15 caroms; 8-13 FG), Kiara Eubanks (17 points), Jadyn Whistitt (13 points, 8 boards, 6 assists) and Macy Robinson (13 points, 9 rebounds) topped the Wildcats stat parade but, despite a late-season push, they fell short of a playoff berth.
• Post secured the #3 seed in the CACC North, getting past Concordia, 63-55. There were no double digit leads in this game but the Eagles took the lead with an 11-0 burst to finish the third quarter on top, 46-38. The Clippers rallied and went ahead, 51-50, after an 8-0 run with 5:42 left but it didn’t last. Lauren Chambers (11 points) sank a trey to start a 7-0 Post jag and it proved decisive, as it left the Eagles with a 60-53 lead in the final minute. Melanie Polanco (17 points) and Jessica DeGree (11 points and 19 rebounds, including 11 offensive caroms) added depth for Post, which dominated the glass (50-28) and stepped to the line more often (Post 15-23; Concordia 8-8 FT). Amiya Rankins (20 points; 8-11 FG) and Cameron Corbett (15 points) topped the Clippers attack but they shot just 31% overall while Post hit 41% from the field. The Eagles will visit Jefferson (the #2 South seed) in their Tuesday CACC playoff game.
• Felician came back to snare a 61-58 win over Georgian Court in a divisional cross-over game that seemed to be in the Lions clutches until the last seven minutes. GCU led at the break (32-25) and after three periods (43-37), eventually extending the gap to 50-39 with 7:15 to go. That spurred the Golden Falcons to an 18-2 explosion over a four minute span and suddenly Felician held a 57-52 lead. The Lions answered with a 6-0 run capped by a Jada Atchison (10 points) triple to go ahead, 58-57, with 1:11 left but they went dry after that. Kristen Smith scored with 38 seconds to go to put the Golden Falcons ahead and after a GCU turnover, Taliyah Brisco (:09) sank two foul shots to make it 61-58. Atchison’s three-pointer at the horn missed and Felician had the win. Kameron Stone (21 points, 14 boards; 8-17 FG) and Bionca Chambers (17 points, 9 assists despite shooting 4-24 from the floor and 3-12 from 3FG-land) to top the Felician scoring while Ivona Krakic (15 points) and Safiyyah Lee (10 points, 10 boards) led the Georgian Court stat list. GCU had the edge off the glass (56-47) and at the line (19-28; Felician 6-10 FT) but the Golden Falcons forced eleven more miscues (23-12) and turned that into a 21-8 plus in points-off-TO’s. Both are on the road for Tuesday CACC quarterfinal playoff games, Felician at Sciences and Georgian Court at Caldwell.
• Bloomfield ended their season on a high note by beating Caldwell, 77-67, ending the Cougars six-game win streak. The key was the third quarter as the Bears, who led 43-42 at the half, out-scored Caldwell 20-7 (including an 8-0 start to the frame) and built a 63-49 lead by the end of it. Their advantage crested at 17 points early in the fourth quarter and the Cougars never really made a push down the stretch. Caitlin Townes (18 points, 5 assists), Deja McKenzie (18 points, 12 boards, 5 steals), Sydnei Alleyne (16 points; 7-11 FG) and Jaylah Bennett (15 points) shared the load for BC while Alessia Smaldone (22 points, 6 boards; 9-15 FG) and Andie Lennon (21 points; 8-15 FG) sparked the Cougars. Despite the loss, Caldwell finished in the #2 North Division spot and will host Georgian Court in Tuesday’s CACC quarterfinals.
• The University of the Sciences wrapped up a 27-1 regular season and saw their winning streak hit 16 games as they demolished Chestnut Hill, 84-54. The Devils had a dozen players score, led by Irisa Ye (18 points) and Alex Thomas (10 points). Dynamite long-range shooting (16-38 3FG) and a 24-11 edge in points-off-turnovers helped the Devils prevail, and they were clinical in the first half (11-21 3FG) in crafting a 52-25 lead. Sciences led by as many as 42 points on the way to victory, prepping for a visit from Felician in Tuesday’s CACC quarterfinals. Jaeda Wildgoose (15 points) and Brianna Cullen (10 points) submitted double digits for the Griffins, who struggled from deep (3-10 3FG) and didn’t unduly trouble the Devils.
• Jefferson led all the way in their regular season closer, dropping Holy Family, 63-51. The Rams slowly built their lead (34-24 at the half; 50-37 after three quarters) and dominated the glass (47-28) on the way to victory. Caitlin Cunningham (14 points), Alynna Williams (13 points), Jessica Kaminski (10 points, 10 boards) and Erin Maher (10 points) took care of the scoring for the Rams while Elizabeth Radley (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Molly Masciantonio (13 points) headed the Tigers attack. Jefferson will welcome Post to town for their CACC quarterfinal clash on Tuesday.
• Dominican ended their regular season with a 77-58 win over Nyack, winning the CACC North title by three games over Caldwell. Ciera Rivera (21 points; 4-7 3FG), Korina Guerra (17 points) and Alpresia Parker (12 points) topped a Charger effort which saw them rack up a 21/11 assist/turnover ratio, dominate in points-off-turnovers (30-7), out-shoot Nyack (45%-29% FG) and hit 12-32 from deep. DC led 45-34 at the half and stretched the margin to 62-40 after three periods, leaving the Warriors with little chance to respond. Kyla Given (15 points, 10 rebounds), Elle Nittinger (15 points, 7 boards) and Jocelin Wright (12 points) were the best bets for Nyack, which did fare very well at the stripe (24-28 FT) and won the glass scrap, 43-29, but still ended their season with a defeat.
• ECC regular season champion St. Thomas Aquinas will enter the playoffs on a ten-game win streak after they beat Molloy, 80-63. The Spartans shot 54% overall, forced 22 Lions turnovers (which led to a 28-13 plus in points-off-TO’s) and blew the game open in the second half. STAC held a 35-25 lead at the intermission and started the second half on a 16-1 blitz to make it a 51-26 bulge. The Lions did hang tough and cut the deficit to 64-53 with 5:22 to play but a 10-0 STAC answer (74-53, 3:11) ended any lingering comeback hopes. Zaria Thomas (17 points; 7-11 FG), Ruth Adams (14 points), Melissa Sadler (13 points), Emily Preston (11 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) and Chelsea Murphy (11 points) all had twin figures for STAC while Ihnacince Grady (21 points) and Marthe Guirand (17 points, 6 boards; 6-9 FG) were Molloy’s top threats. The Spartans get a week off before the ECC semifinals (they and #2 seed Daemen get byes), which will be held at the University of Bridgeport.
• Natasha Roy’s three-pointer with 3:53 left gave theUniversity of the District of Columbia the lead for good in a 66-64 win over Queens in a game which ends the season for both teams. Roy (23 points, 6 assists; 6-13 3FG) and Maya Thomas (14 points; 4-7 3FG) led the way for the Firebirds, who held a 40-30 advantage at the half. The Knights, behind Lakeisha Officer (career-high 25 points; 9 boards; 7-10 FG, 11-11 FT) and Nora Gabel (18 points), rallied after the restart and tied the game after three frames at 52. The lead traded hands regularly in the fourth period with Roy’s key trey putting UDC ahead, 63-62. After a Patrice Albert basket made it 65-62, Emer Moloney hit two foul shots with :56 left to draw QC within 65-64. Roy sank a freebie with :04 left and a Kaitlyn Mahon attempt at the horn missed to close it out. UDC fared much better that QC from three-point land (UDC 12-25; Queens 3-9 3FG) and they also won the glass, 35-25, to fuel the victory.