Women’s Notebook – East Regional Conference Chase Updates
By Stephen Zerdelian
All three regional conferences are fully into their respective races, and some things have become clear, while others are decidedly cloudy. How have they developed in the last week or so? Time to focus the spotlight…
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference – Jefferson and all the rest…
Nobody should be surprised that Jefferson is the last team in the region without a league loss. The Rams have extraordinary experience and a high level of talent, which translates into exactly what was expected – CACC dominance. Their most recent wins include one over CACC North Division leader Post, 74-53, behind Sam Yencha’s 21 points and 13 rebounds, and a 65-45 victory over Holy Family, with Haley Meinel (18 points), Yencha (14 points, 11 boards) and Morgan Robinson (12 assists) all shining. Jefferson has a slim lead on Chestnut Hill atop the CACC South but realistically are in full control of the loop.
Maybe the biggest story in the CACC is the injury to Holy Family star guard Skyler Searfoss. The sophomore is likely done for the season (knee injury) and the Tigers have wobbled since she went out after their win over Lincoln on December 31. Since then, HFU is 2-4 (2-3 in CACC games). They did nip Felician, 69-62, last weekend despite Golden Falcon Ana Valle’s 24 points, and should still grind out some wins in a weak league even without Searfoss. But their CACC title and NCAA prospects really took a hit – a team cannot afford to lose its leader and still thrive. Her loss means their parts don’t fit quite as well and rhythm will be difficult to find. Holy Family will still compete but there is undoubtedly a lot to overcome now.
One beneficiary of HFU’s misfortune is Chestnut Hill (for every action, an equal and opposite action is likely…), who have won nine on the spin, including a win at Holy Family on January 9. Recently, the Griffins beat Caldwell, 64-60, with Emily Sekerak (21 points, 18 rebounds) and a big second quarter (22-4) the core of success, and then followed it with an 85-47 battering of Georgian Court, where they shot 48% overall and were crisp at the line (16-20 FT) and from deep (7-11 3FG). CHC can certainly stay in second place in the CACC South and may well be in the frame for its second NCAA bid in three years if they keep it up.
Georgian Court looks destined for the final CACC South playoff slot, with a recent win over Bloomfield, 75-66, part of their win total. Imani Gillette (26 points, 15 boards) and Safiatu Kolliegbo (22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals) led the way in that one but their ceiling is fourth in the division. Goldey-Beacom beat Wilmington this week in a clash of clubs seeking their first CACC victories of the campaign. Rory Ciszkowski (32 points, 9 boards; 11-15 FG, 9-13 3FG) was superb in that one for the Lightning, who shot 50% and held the Wildcats to 26%. GBC is two games behind GCU and should be able to stay in the chase for the final playoff spot, at least for a while.
In the CACC North, balance and unpredictability reign. Post sits atop the division right now, having shaded Bridgeport, 72-64, this week. UB is one of the Eagles closest rivals, as are Felician and Dominican – they are separated by just a game-and-a-half in the standings. Bridgeport picked up a 62-50 win over Goldey-Beacom this week (Stephanie McBride had a 20-point, 11-board outing) to stay in it. The top four teams are a combined 9-26 in non-CACC play - Post accounts for five of the wins and Dominican three more, indicating their relative pedigree, so they may eventually end up the top pair, as they did last season.
Bloomfield, though, will challenge for a playoff spot. The Bears beat Caldwell this week, 75-67, with Daniya Derby (24 points, 9 boards) and Taneshia Tucker (15 points, 10 assists) sparking the success. Bloomfield scored 32 fourth period points (including 10-0 and 11-1 runs) to off-set Jahnel Lewis’ 24 points and prevail on the road.
CACC Games to watch this week…
Saturday, January 27 – Bridgeport visits Felician in a key North Division contest while Chestnut Hill will try to extend its winning streak to ten games as they visit defending CACC champion Dominican.
Wednesday, January 31 – Felician travels to Caldwell with a chance to keep its’ in-state rival down. The young Golden Falcons have been a breath of fresh air in the loop and are growing rapidly.
East Coast Conference – Getting Close!
Things have tightened considerably in the ECC with the likes of Daemen, St. Thomas Aquinas and Molloy making the running recently. The big individual names in the league have taken turns being the best/hottest player with Daemen’s Alahna Paige and STAC’s Sarah Ericson sparkling lately. There is still a lot of sorting to do as the ECC regular season heats up.
Ericson has dragged the Spartans back into the ECC race. On the heels of a three-game slide, she racked up a 30-point, 8-board, 6-assist, 6-steal stat line to key St. Thomas Aquinas to a 70-59 win over Daemen, the Wildcats first ECC defeat of the season. A 10-0 fourth period surge with all the points from Ericson, staked the Spartans to a 53-42 lead and they never lost it. She collected 24 points and 9 boards a few days later as STAC beat D’Youville, 67-46, with Erin Leary (16 points, 7 rebounds) chipping in nicely. They completed the week with a 68-62 decision over UDC with Ericson (21 points, 11 boards) predictably fronting the charge.
Daemen recovered from the loss to edge Mercy, 55-51, thanks to 20 points from Paige and a 21-9 third period effort. The Mavericks are in the playoff picture, with a win earlier in the week over D’Youville (57-55) a big one. Jaclyn Stanavich (24 points, 9 boards) scored with 14 seconds left to put the Mavs ahead for good and Katie Wall closed it out with a free throw.
Maybe the ECC’s hottest team is Molloy, winners of five on the trot. Trinity Hudson (18 points, 15 boards) fueled a non-league win over AIC, 56-55, as the Lions survived a big game from Yellow Jacket Briana Lee (16 points, 16 rebounds). Hudson (25 points, 15 boards) was massive in their latest victory, an 85-73 decision over Roberts Wesleyan. Samantha Muller (24 points) lent valuable assistance, as Molloy ended the game on a 15-3 spree to get the job done.
Although the glow of an 11-0 start has faded, UDC is still firmly in the mix near the ECC summit. Destiny Ryles (22 points, 6 boards, 5 steals, 4 assists) was critical in a 73-69 win over the College of Staten Island, who received 20 points each from Jenalyse Alarcon and Ashley Lambert. The Firebirds are still potent, so don’t forget about them. Meanwhile, the Dolphins were stuck in a nine-game slide, but the eye test said they’re not playing that badly. And, right on course, they nipped Mercy, 73-71, to end the slide. Alarcon (17 points) was among the Dolphins to author a sweet rally, coming back from an early 30-8 deficit to prevail. Kaia Johnson made the game-winner with :02 left, spoiling another strong game from Stanavich (23 points).
Elsewhere, Queens picked up its first league win thanks to a 68-59 success against RWC. Brianna Davis (26 points), Jalea Abrams (21 points) and Nkiru Awaka (16 points, 11 boards) combined to earn the Knights the win, and with plenty of games still to play, Queens could still put a run at a playoff spot together.
ECC Games to watch this week…
Friday, January 26 – Molloy travels to Daemen for a contest between two teams playing their best basketball of the season.
Saturday, January 27 – A key game for teams trying to remain in the upper echelon of the loop sees UDC visit Mercy.
Wednesday, January 31 – Molloy is back in action again, this time hosting St. Thomas Aquinas. Should be a very competitive contest.
Northeast-10 Conference – The accordion effect takes hold…
The most complete and deepest league in the region is at it again. Yes, the NE10 sets the standard in the East and at this point, has five teams in the drivers’ seat for NCAA bids.
Bentley leads the pack and has a two-game advantage in the loss column, not to mention early tiebreakers over their closest challengers. The Falcons contest at Pace was postponed last weekend due to illness on the Setters side, so they had a week between games. A little bit of rust showed early in their return against AIC but with the Falcons up by a pair with 6:10 left, they sped away on the strength on a 17-2 closing run to win, 67-50, and extend their winning streak to seven games. Maggie Whitmore (18 points, 7 boards, 12-14 FT) led the Bentley scoring, avenging one of their two defeats this season.
There is a three-way deadlock for second place with Assumption the hottest of the trio. The Greyhounds have won six on the trot, blasting Southern New Hampshire (one of the other trio in the cravat!) over the weekend, 81-51. Assumption shot 51% and won the glass, 44-22, in that one, and then beat the other team in the three-way dance, the College of Saint Rose, 54-50. Molly Stokes (28 points; 7-16 FG, 3-6 3FG, 11-12 FT) exploded to lead the Hounds in a vital game in which they never trailed.
SNHU bounced back with a 66-55 victory over local rival Saint Anselm behind a career-high tying 24 points (and 13 boards) from Jess Knight. Saint Rose, meanwhile, started the week by snuffing out New Haven, 50-37, ruling the glass (41-29) and locking up the Chargers to the tune of 29% from the floor.
Tucked in behind the top four are Pace and Southern Connecticut. The Setters shed their rust by grinding past New Haven, 55-44, while SCSU recorded wins over Franklin Pierce (58-38) and Adelphi (66-57) to gather steam. In the former Owls win, Delaney Haines netted 19 points in 23 minutes (7-9 FG, 3-5 3FG) and in the latter one, Makenzie Helms (26 points; 7-11 FG, 12-13 FT) was the major protagonist.
Battling for a first round home playoff game at this point are AIC, Franklin Pierce andSaint Anselm. The Hawks knocked off the Yellow Jackets last weekend, 77-55, as the duo of Melanie Hoyt (27 points) and Liv Robles (20 points) shined. Between the pair, they shot 15-21 from the floor, 4-4 from three-point land and 13-13 at the line. Lee led AIC with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Franklin Pierce dropped St. Michael’s, 54-37, leading all the way and dominating the backboards, 52-29.
Speaking of St. Michael’s, they ended a 34-game NE10 regular season downturn with a nail-biting 62-59 win over sliding Adelphi in Vermont. The Purple Knights scored the first ten points of the game and led by as many as 20 points (28-8) before the Panthers crawled back into contention. Freshmen Amber Furch (SMC) and Isabella Asencio (AU) led their teams with 19 and 24 points, respectively, and played like seasoned leaders. Adelphi eventually had two chances to tie the game and force overtime but missed a pair of three-balls in the dying seconds, allowing the Purple Knights a chance to celebrate a conference win for the first time in almost two calendar years.
NE10 Games to watch this week…
Saturday, January 27 – Pace visits the College of Saint Rose in a clash of terrific defensive teams in the top tier of the loop. Also in that upper level is Southern New Hampshire, who face what could be a tricky trip across state to Franklin Pierce.
Tuesday, January 30 – AIC tries to get back on track with a difficult road test at Southern Connecticut.
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