Women’s Notebook – ECC spotlight and a check on overtime games
By Stephen Zerdelian
Let’s start this notebook edition off with a closer look at the East Coast Conference…
One of the best rivalries in the ECC is the western New York duel between Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan. They’ve been crossing swords since Daemen began playing basketball in the 1986-’87 season, when the Wildcats beat RWC in their first-ever varsity game (62-50) and have played each other every year since. Last week the teams tipped off their league schedules against one another, fitting since they were chosen as the top two in the loop in the ECC pre-season poll.
Thanks to the pandemic, RWC and Daeman played each other five times last season, with the Wildcats prevailing four times, including the regional title game. The Redhawks did claim the ECC playoff crown, however, so they did manage to dent the series momentum, albeit slightly. Daemen holds a 49-25 lead now, by far the most games the Wildcats have played against any single opponent.
Daemen has had a bumpy start to the season, but their strength of schedule has been daunting, so consider it a learning process. They laid down a marker with the victory, led by veterans Tiara Filbert, Katie Titus (16 points each) and Mickayla Ivy (12 points) along with potent rookie Sydney Hvizdak (15 points). That quartet shot a combined 23-32 from the floor, too much for the Redhawks (who didn’t have a double-digit scorer) to handle. Add great Daemen shooting (56% FG, 18-32 from three-point land), and RWC had little chance to avert a defeat.
While the Redhawks fell short in this one, expect them to be a fixture in the race for ECC playoff positioning. The league feels wide-open – after Daemen, that is – and Roberts Wesleyan will be targeting a home playoff game. It shapes up to be an interesting season ahead in the ECC.
I think I may have inadvertently jinxed Bridgeport. After my praise last week following their victory over Pace, the Purple Knights crashed to three straight losses, all by wide margins. Defense has been the main deficiency for UB in the last week, as they conceded an average of just over 92 points a game. The downturn hasn’t affected the excellent play of Samirah Henderson, though, who scored almost 23 points per game and shot well (24-42 FG, 12-18 3FG) in that stretch.
The ECC has struggled in non-league play, and I mean struggled. Only one team has a winning record outside of the loop, and that comes with a huge proviso (see D’Youville item). The loop sports a 25-42 mark outside of the conference, lending even more credence to the feeling that it will be a one-bid league in the NCAA tournament once March arrives.
One week after Saint Anselm guard Peyton Steinman* scored 40 points against Stonehill, D’Youville’s Sara Pfeiffer dropped the same number against Bridgeport. The 5-8 sophomore from Olean, New York set a personal best with the explosion, making 13-30 shots, including 6-18 from three-point land, and added 8-9 at the foul line. She even had time to grab seven boards and dish out six assists in the Saints 95-68 win. Pfeiffer played all 40 minutes, as well, which made me wrinkle an eyebrow. D’Youville was never seriously in trouble in the game (they led by 20 points at the half and by 22 after three periods) and although they are down slightly on available players (nine saw minutes in this game), was there a real need to play her the full 40?
(* Speaking of Steinman, she continued her searing hot play with these two games last week - 34 points in a 73-63 win over Felician [40 minutes, 11-23 FG, 3-7 3FG, 9-10 FT], including 17 points in the last 12 minutes alone; and 28 points [9-14 FG, 9-10 FT] in a 75-69 victory over Franklin Pierce.)
Back to D’Youville, they are the sole ECC outfit with a +.500 out-of-league record. The catch is that their schedule is almost totally a non-Division II one outside of the conference. That skews the picture for those who don’t have the time to delve deeper. I understand completing schedule deals and honoring contracts, but a glut of those games won’t help the Saints gain legitimacy. Contrast that to their fellow ECC newcomer, the College of Staten Island, whose eight non-league games are all against CACC or NE10 opponents and it looks that much worse for the Saints.
Elsewhere in the ECC, notable individual performances included Destiny Ryles (UDC), who racked up a near quadruple-double against Queens in a 77-68 win. The 5-3 freshman transfer from LaSalle scored 25 points (10-19 FG, 5-8 3FG) and added 8 boards, 8 steals and 7 assists as the Firebirds withstood a 16-0 Knights run in the second half to nail down the result… Georgia Haverlock’s two free throws with eight seconds left provided Roberts Wesleyan with the margin of victory against the College of Saint Rose last week, 59-58. Havelock ended the game with a career-high 18 points and converted all eight of her free throws… Something I haven’t seen in a long time happened in the St. Thomas Aquinas-Pace game over the weekend – STAC’s starting quintet scored just four points, shooting 1-19 from the floor. New head coach Bill Cleary has had to confront significant personnel issues this season and is still trying to find the right mix but that had to be hard to endure… Titus netted a career-best 38 points in Daemen’s win over Bridgeport, shooting well (11-22 FG, 5-9 3FG, 3-3 FT) and snaring 11 boards to go with the points. Titus, the pre-season ECC Player of the Year, is doing nothing to change that perception… By the way, Daemen has won 26 straight home games in ECC play, so visit Lumsden Gym at your peril.
40’s not enough
Thus far this season the region has seen seven overtime games, the quickest to that number since the 2014-’15 season. Which got me to thinking about last week’s extra session games and more…
Chestnut Hill dropped an overtime game to Kutztown last week, their fourth straight loss in OT tilts. The last time the Griffins won a game that ran past 40 minutes? February 13, 2018, over Wilmington… Jefferson prevailed in a terrific clash against Bloomsburg, 66-60, in large part to freshman Cassie Murphy’s personal-best 28 points. Murphy sent the game to OT with a layin at the :01 mark of regulation, wrapping up a thrilling fourth period which saw ties at 49, 53, 55, 57 and 59. The Rams dominated the extra frame, tallying seven of the eight points to down the Huskies.
The game of the week had to be Southern Connecticut’s 75-72 double overtime decision at Caldwell. The Owls seemed in firm control of the game with 1:23 left, holding a 57-47 lead, but the Cougars rallied and ended regulation on a 13-3 run, punctuated by a Shanice Graves (14 points, 8 boards) trey with three ticks left. Teammate Casey O’Shaughnessy (21 points and 6 rebounds in a game-high 50 minutes) matched that feat with :47 left in the first overtime to knot the game at 68 and prompt even more bonus ball. Jessica Fressle (17 points, 7 rebounds) was the centerpiece for SCSU in the second overtime, scoring five of their seven points, to send the guests to victory.
You’d think that the multiple overtime is a rarity, and for the most part, you’d be right. Since the start of the 2003-’04 season (when the region grew to three conferences), there have been 50 multiple overtime games – 41 double OT games, eight triple overtimes and one quadruple overtime, which was recapped earlier this year in the Chronicles at:
Caldwell has played in a couple of multiple OT games in recent years, losing to Mercy on November 26, 2019 (96-89) but beating Bloomfield on February 24, 2015 (87-82). The latter had a lot riding on it, so why not check out our recap of the game at:
https://www.d2easthoops.org/women/recaps/2014-15/Women-s_Game_Recaps_-65_-_2-25-15
Southern Connecticut, you ask? Turn the calendar back…
The last time SCSU played in a multiple overtime game was on February 4, 1989, when they fell to Franklin Pierce in three OT’s, 89-83. The last time the Owls came out on top in one of these encounters? How about January 16, 1988, when the defeated the University of Lowell, 78-76, in two overtimes?
Donna Wheeler (20 points) and Julie Dale (19 points) keyed the Owls in that one, with Wheeler making all four of their three-pointers (SCSU went 4-5 as a team). On the Lowell side (and they were still the Chiefs!), Missy Montini tossed in 28 points (and all three of UL’s triples) while Jennifer Demby had 14 points and a still-program record 25 rebounds.
Yes, it has been a while, almost 34 years. And no, I was not there.
Quiz time - since the start of the 2003-’04 season, which team in the region (while playing as a Division II outfit) has played, won and lost the most overtime games? Answers at the end of the column. Don’t cheat.
Random stuff…
When was the last time you saw three non-first year players on the same team match or better their career-high scoring totals in the same game? It happened for Stonehill on Sunday in their defeat at Adelphi, as Emily Bramanti (career-high equaling 26 points, Sophie Glidden (career-best 16 points) and Mia Kelly (career-high 11 points) all had strong outings … Pace put up a 20-2 run to close out 80-70 win over Dominican last week in a hard-fought game. The Setters trailed 68-60 with just over six minutes left but behind their dynamic pair of Laurens (Schetter, with 29 points and Hackett, with 25 points), they rallied to add another nice win to their resume.
Finally, as promised…
Most overtime wins – AIC (15)
Most overtime losses – St. Michael’s (16)
Most overtime games played – Franklin Pierce (27; 12-15)
Best winning percentage (minimum of 10 overtime games) – Stonehill .700 (14-6)
You cheated, right? It’s ok – in the spirit of the holidays, I forgive you.