Women’s Notebook – Conference tournament updates and NCAA tournament thoughts
By Stephen Zerdelian
The regular season is done, and the region is into playoff mode. All three conferences in the area have whittled their tournament fields down to four teams, with semifinal action starting this evening in the Northeast10 Conference. Add in the fact that the latest regional rankings were released yesterday, and you have a sizeable pot to stir. Let’s look at what has transpired thus far and what it might mean to the NCAA regional tournament field, which is set to be revealed on Sunday night.
First and foremost, the top seed in the NE10 was ousted on Sunday, as Pace (the #8 seed) headed to Syracuse and bumped off Le Moyne in overtime, 49-47. The setback came after a break of more than a week for the Dolphins, so you wonder if any rust crept in. Sure, it’s great to have a rest but waiting that long to gear back up isn’t ideal and LC may have paid for it.
Give credit to Pace, though, for controlling tempo and making the game a tense one. The contest featured eleven ties and ten lead changes, with no side enjoying more than a four-point lead at any juncture. Setter center Tower Lorde (who had a career day with 15 points and 16 rebounds) tied matters at 43 with 1:03 left in regulation and LC missed twice in the dying seconds to send the game to overtime. Lauren Hackett (12 points) and Arianna Stockinger (11 points) hit three-pointers in the extra session to put the Setters ahead to stay (49-45, 1:54) and they held on when the Dolphins missed twice in the last few seconds after getting the lead down to 49-47. Le Moyne is still a lock for the NCAA tournament field, but they’ll likely be the #4 seed once it starts (unless Bentley wins the NE10 title, which might mean the Falcons are #4 and LC is #5). Le Moyne will have to deal with another layoff before they tip off again (11 days!) so we shall see how they adjust this time around.
Pace beat Saint Anselm in their opening NE10 playoff game, 60-48, with Lorde (13 points) leading the way. Melanie Hoyt topped the Hawks with 20 points and 11 boards, but they fell into a 27-14 gully after one period and never got out (the lead was at least nine points thereafter). The Setters know their season will not continue in the NCAA’s unless they win the NE10 title but with so many veterans from last season’s Elite Eight run around, the moment won’t be too big for them, and they will be a threat.
One of the NE10 semifinals tonight sees Pace visit #4 seed Bentley, the defending tourney champion. The Falcons played two pedestrian first halves in their playoff games to date but picked it up after the break to eliminate St. Michael’s (59-39) and Franklin Pierce (70-54). The latter game saw Maggie Whitmore top Bentley with 23 points and 8 rebounds, leading the Falcons to a big their quarter (25-14) and eventually the victory. Colette Mulderig’s superb game (career-highs of 21 points and 12 boards) was a salve for FPU.
Aside of Pace’s win at Le Moyne, the most notable upset in the NE10 was Franklin Pierce’s triumph at New Haven in the first round, 57-49, ending UNH’s NCAA tournament hopes. The Chargers led for most of the game and held a 38-32 edge after three periods but allowed the Ravens to dominate the final frame, 25-11. Ines Gimenez Monserrat sparked the FPU attack with 24 points while Kenzie Sirowich added 12 points and 17 caroms. FPU shot 7-11 from the floor in the last frame (3-3 from deep and 8-8 at the line, too), stunning the Chargers, whose residence on the NCAA bubble came to a crashing end. The Ravens ran out of steam at Bentley but with a young and talented outfit, if they can get/stay healthy, they could easily flip their 9-20 record around next season.
On the other side of the bracket the seeds mostly held, providing a #2 vs. #3 matchup in the semifinal with Assumption hosting Southern New Hampshire tonight. Assumption handled Southern Connecticut in their quarterfinal matchup, 60-44, placing four players in double digits in a wire-to-wire win. The Owls, despite good games from Isabella Santoro (17 points, 8 boards) and Zoe Amalbert (16 points), shot just 27% and missed all 18 of their three-point tries.
SCSU pushed past Adelphi in the first round, 72-66, holding off a late Panther rally to prevail. Santoro (18 points, 11 boards), Delaney Connors (14 points, 4-6 3FG) and Amalbert (13 points) led the way for the hosts, who advanced despite allowing AU to shoot 51% from the floor and rule the paint (32-18). Ty’Zhea Hawkins (20 points) wrapped up a strong season in fronting Adelphi, but their upset bid came up short. In the end, SCSU will be sweating out the wait to see if they get an NCAA at-large bid, as they can only hope that the committee sees their overall resume as attractive enough to warrant a bid.
The #11 seed, the College of Saint Rose, handed #6 seed AIC a 77-63 loss in the opening round, squashing any slim NCAA hopes the Yellow Jackets may have harbored. Isabel Sanchez powered the Golden Knights with 23 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, 6-7 FT) with Catherine Finnerty (14 points, 6 rebounds) and Mykaela Johnson (14 points) supplying depth. Taylor Tomlinson completed her sole season at AIC with a flourish (31 points) but AIC never made up a 30-19 halftime deficit. The victory was Saint Rose’s first in NE10 post season play since 2011-’12, which caps a nice building season.
SNHU sent Saint Rose packing in the quarterfinals, 69-55, behind a career day from Ariana Koivisto (24 points; 7-11 FG, 3-6 3FG, 7-8 FT). Sanchez tossed in 21 points for the Golden Knights, but they were second-best in every facet of the game. The Penmen head to Worcester tonight with hopes of getting a bit of payback for a loss at Laska Gym less than two weeks ago (they split their season series). The winner gets to host the NE10 title game on Saturday, with NCAA seeding another twist in this one.
Bentley has won 21 NE10 playoff titles over the 40-year history of the loop but none of the other semifinalists have every hoisted the trophy, so there is something to play for other than seeding for Assumption and SNHU. Pace knows its season ends with their next loss, so they’ll be free and easy, and hoping to keep the upset train chugging along. Bentley should be a lock for the NCAA’s regardless but would cement a spot with a win over Pace and maybe nail down the #5 regional spot in the process.
The guess here is that no matter how the NE10 playoffs finish, the league will get at least four NCAA bids, with Southern Connecticut wobbling on the bubble. The Owls are ranked eighth in this week’s regional poll and their status is fluid, reliant on other results. Holy Family (6th) and St. Thomas Aquinas (7th) are ahead of SCSU in the pecking order with only a loss to a non-ranked team possibly allowing the Owls to jump one or both of them in the at-large race.
Assumption, meanwhile, has a clear path to hosting the regional if they win out. If the Greyhounds, already ranked #1 in the rgion, can beat SNHU (#3) and either Bentley (#5) or Pace, they would have defeated two (or three) regionally ranked teams in the NE10 playoffs while #2 Jefferson can only claim one more such win (if they beat Holy Family in the CACC title game). That should be enough to ensure the Hounds host but if they lose and Jefferson wins out, expect the regional in Philadelphia.
Back to the topic at hand. The CACC quarterfinals were played on Tuesday and all four hosts advanced to the semifinals.
The North Division’s top seed, Post, dropped Georgian Court (the #4 South seed), 68-59, with Sha’Raya Haines netting a career-high 34 points (12-25 FG, 4-12 3FG, 6-10 FG; 40 minutes) to spearhead the attack. Jariah Patterson (18 points) led the Lions, but they were handled on the glass (46-33) and trailed 10-0 off the bat, never to recover. The #2 seed in the North Division, Dominican, placed four players in double figures, led by Tanasha Mills (22 points, 6 assists) and Kristen Teklits (21 points; 5-11 3FG), to repel Chestnut Hill (the #3 South seed), effectively ending the Griffins NCAA hopes. Emily Chmiel’s 18 points topped CHC’s effort. The Chargers led 37-33 at the break and watched the Griffins close to within 66-64 with 3:11 left but made 9-10 at the line thereafter to make it a 75-64 game, wrapping up the win.
Jefferson (the #1 South seed) is a certainty in the NCAA tournament field and still holds a chance to be the #1 seed and host the regional. They routed #4 South seed Caldwell, 68-43, with Sam Yencha (20 points, 11 boards; 9-14 FG) and Haley Meinel (19 points) doing the damage. Emily Keefhuss drilled two three-pointers in the second period (four overall) for the Rams in a decisive 26-11 stanza (40-23 at the half), making a Cougar comeback impossible. The #2 South seed, Holy Family, received 18 points from Skyler Searfoss and 13 points and 9 rebounds from Moe Moore to eliminate #3 North seed Felician, 71-62. Golden Falcon star Briana Lee racked up a 26-point (8-15 FG), 10-board stat line but it wasn’t enough, as the Tigers made 28-36 at the line and ruled the glass, 48-33.
As mentioned, Jefferson (2nd in the regional poll) is an NCAA lock and potential regional host. To get the #1 seed, the Rams will have to win the CACC crown (they host the final four this weekend) and hope Assumption loses in the NE10 playoffs and (probably) vacates the top spot in the region. Holy Family is in the mix and, if they can’t win the CACC title, reaching the championship round might lock up a bid for them. Post and Dominican must win the CACC championship to continue their season.
In the ECC, Daemen earned the #1 tourney seed and the right to host this weekend’s league final four in western New York. St. Thomas Aquinas received the other bye thanks to finishing second. Last night’s first-round games featured two upsets, with #5 seed College of Staten Island beating #4 UDC, 84-73, and 6th seed Queens knocking out #3 seed Mercy, 57-52. Both the Dolphins and Knights know that an NCAA at-large bid is beyond them, and they must win the league crown to get there, but they’ve already exceeded expectations.
Jenalyse Alarcon poured in a career-high 34 points (11-18 FG, 12-13 FT) and grabbed 10 rebounds as CSI won their first-ever ECC playoff game at UDC. Destiny Ryles (24 points, 9 boards) and Latavia Jackson (20 points, 11 rebounds) headed the Firebird effort but balance (Staten Island placed four in double digits) and better shooting across the board (44%-35% FG; 6-3 in three-pointers and 22-25 at the line) did the job for the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Chelsea Reeves (17 points, 6 caroms) and Brianna Davis (16 points) sparked QC to their win at Mercy. The home team shot just 34% overall (1-9 from three-point land) and allowed the Knights to run off a 13-2 spurt to open the last period, snapping a 36-all tie for good. Staten Island and Queens will be decided underdogs at the ECC final four this weekend but have proven they have a puncher’s chance.
Things get interesting in the region when we start to consider Daemen and STAC. Given where they ranked in the region this week (the Spartans at #7 and the Wildcats at #9), both reaching the ECC title game might mean two bids for the league, which seemed very unlikely all season. Debates continue regarding where there are in the regional rankings, and it would create a very awkward situation if Daemen does not claim the automatic qualifier.
Aside of non-ranked teams winning their league’s AQ (Pace, Staten Island, Queens, Post and Dominican) and blowing up the bracket, it’s nine teams for eight NCAA East regional spots (New Haven is ranked 10th and for all effective purposes out of the picture). If Daemen wins the ECC title, they get the AQ, and Southern Connecticut is on the outside looking in, especially if STAC is the other ECC finalist. If the Spartans beat Daemen in the title game, the last seed is anyone’s guess. Should STAC lose in the ECC semifinals, and Daemen wins the crown, it’ll be the Spartans that are sweating it out along with SCSU for the last at-large berth.
Got that? Great, you’re welcome. Now watch all the final fours this weekend and check out the selection show on Sunday night, and we’ll see how it all shakes out.
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