Women’s Notebook – NCAA East Regional Recap, Elite Eight Preview
By Stephen Zerdelian
After a weekend of spills and thrills, the 2024 Division II East Regional champion has been crowned, and for the second time in the last four seasons, Daemen took the crown. This is a lot different than the first time, though, when less than half the region even participated in the 2021 tournament due to the aftermath of the pandemic, so the Wildcats success this time around vindicates the program and confirms its spot among the regional elite.
The Wildcats run through the regional, held in Waltham, Massachusetts (Bentley was the host) began with a hard-fought 52-47 victory over the College of Saint Rose, ending the Golden Knights Cinderella season and sadly putting CSR into the history books for good. It continued with a 68-58 victory over the defending regional kingpin Assumption and culminated in an epic title game decision over Jefferson, 69-62. Let’s recap all the other games before diving into Daemen’s path.
Assumption never trailed in their first-round win over Franklin Pierce, a 58-43 victory. The Greyhounds held a modest 39-31 lead after three periods but stretched it out to keep their hopes of a repeat alive. Molly Stokes (14 points) led the Hounds in scoring despite not making a trey for the first time in 26 games. Maeve Moriarty (9 points) and the trio of Marina Callahan (7 boards), Amanda Mieczkowski (6 rebounds) and Teagan Curran all added eight points for AU in a balanced attack which out-shot the Ravens, 47%-30%. Colette Mulderig (14 points, 12 caroms) topped FPU effort, but they never settled in and were outscored 24-3 in bench points on the day.
Playing only its second NCAA tournament game (and first since 1985), Mercy raced to a 20-9 lead after one quarter against host and top seed Bentley in their first round clash. The Mavericks were unable to sustain that same pace, though, and watched the Falcons batter them over the next twenty minutes to the tune of 41-15, on the way to a 63-50 final tally. Ella Thompson (21 points; 6-12 FG, 5-6 3FG, 4-4 FT) and Maggie Whitmore (17 points, 7 rebounds; 6-10 FG, 3-5 3FG, 2-2 FT) were the key elements for Bentley, which hurt Mercy in points off turnovers (26-7) and by going 8-15 from deep and 15-17 at the line. Jaclyn Stanavich (18 points, 6 boards) shined for Mercy, who received 32 paint points (to Bentley’s 16) and showed well despite the result.
The game of the first round was Jefferson’s 91-89 overtime win against gritty Southern New Hampshire, the first regional tournament OT game since 2014, when Adelphi knocked off New Haven in the same venue (Dana Center). Neither team led by more than eight points all night, and that came during the extra session. The Rams netted the last 11 points of the third quarter and first two of the fourth to claim a 62-56 lead, but the Penmen rallied, and the game was tied with under a minute left. Morgan Robinson (7 points, 12 assists, 6 boards) converted her first field goal with :25 left to put Jefferson ahead, 75-73, only to see Jess Knight (22 points, 8 boards; 9-12 FG) even it on a sideline inbound lob at the :23 mark. Both teams missed chances to win in regulation and Abby Wager (career-high 23 points to go with 8 boards) gave SNHU a quick OT lead with a trey, 78-75. Jefferson responded with a 12-1 explosion to take an 87-79 lead and from there, they held off a late SNHU flurry to advance. Emma Kuczynski (20 points; 8-12 FG), Cassie Murphy (20 points), Sam Yencha (18 points, 10 boards; 9-15 FG) and Haley Meinel (15 points, 6 boards, 4 steals) all had big games for the Rams, who shot 48% overall and compiled an astounding 23/5 assist/turnover ratio. Adriana Timberlake (20 points) and Meghan Gordon (12 points, 9 boards) added strong games for the Penmen, who shot 52% and made 10-26 from three-point land. Jefferson dominated the paint scoring (54-38) in earning the win and moving on.
The semifinal between Bentley and Jefferson promised much and delivered little. A blazing Rams start (23-4 late in the first quarter) put the Falcons on their heels and the margin never dipped below a dozen points thereafter, the final being 68-50. Jefferson nailed it down by scoring the last eight points of the third period (54-33) and pushed their record to 32-1 as a result. Murphy (19 points, 6 boards; 9-15 FG), Robinson (17 points, 6 rebounds), Meinel (15 points) and Yencha (11 points, 17 boards) accounted for much of the Ram damage, and they had big edges in shooting (49%-33%), points-off-turnovers (21-2) and paint scoring (38-24). Ciara Norman (13 points, 9 rebounds) was Bentley’s only double figure scorer, but the Falcons never recovered from the sluggish start.
Now, we turn to Daemen. Their opener against Saint Rose was close (nine ties and four lead changes) and in the balance until the final minute, when the nation’s second-best scorer, Alahna Paige (almost 22 ppg), snapped a 47-all tie with a bucket at the :54 mark. Natalie Angeletti (career-high tying 17 points and a personal best 4-7 from three-point range) iced the game with a pair of free throws (:12) and the Wildcats moved on, 52-47. Paige (26 points, 4 assists; 10-25 FG, 4-10 3FG) was electric and with Angeletti and Cecila Lapertosa (13 rebounds) combining to add depth, the Golden Knights couldn’t cope. Kaelah Carter (16 points) and Payton Graber (14 points) scored more than half of the Saint Rose points and even though they shot better than Daemen (39%-32%), it wasn’t enough. Daemen made more triples (9-4), forced a few more turnovers (13-9; leading to a 15-7 edge in points-off mistakes) and found the key plays at the right times.
Next up for Daemen was Assumption and it was another back-and-forth clash (nine ties and six lead swaps) which ended with the Wildcats prevailing, 68-58. Mieczkowski (9 points, 7 assists) knotted the game at 56 with a trey with 4:21 remaining but that proved to be AU’s last breath, as Daemen rattled off a 12-2 spree to close the game, Paige (21 points; 10-23 FG, 1-9 3FG) scoring half of the points in the run. Angeletti (12 points, 10 boards) and Gabby McDuffie (12 points) were able deputies for the Wildcats as they shot better than Assumption (44%-40%) and again profited from turnovers (12-6 edge, and an 18-4 advantage in points generated by miscues). Stokes (23 points; 10-18 FG, 3-8 3FG), who earned all-tourney honors after another fine game, was the sole double figure scorer for the Hounds, which shot only 13-39 without her (including 2-13 from three-point range). Assumption’s reign was thus ended and Daemen moved on to their third regional championship game in four seasons.
Heading into the title game there were some interesting nuggets to consider, to whit –
- The combination of first round winners (#1, 2, 4 and 6) had only happened twice before, both at the Dana Center (2011 and 2016).
- Never had a four (Jefferson) or six (Daemen) seed ever won a regional title. The seeds were 0-5 combined in New England/Northeast/East regional finals all-time.
- With Assumption’s defeat, the wait for a repeat champion continues, the last being Bentley (2011, 2012).
- This was the first non-pandemic regional final without a Northeast-10 team participating since 2017 (Queens-Molloy), and only the third ever (1986; Central Connecticut-Quinnipiac).
For the third straight season, Daemen and Jefferson were set to face off in the NCAA tournament, with the last two seasons producing a split (Daemen won a first-round game in ’22, and Jefferson claimed a second-round contest last year). The game was poised to be a treat for purveyors of tactics and adjustments, and it indeed was. It was also physical and hard-fought, everything a regional final should be.
Jefferson led by six points a few times in the opening quarter, it’s largest lead(s) of the day. A 9-0 run spanning the first two stanzas gave Daemen a 19-16 edge, and they extended it to 31-22 (2:55), their biggest advantage of the game. The Wildcats toted a 33-26 halftime lead into the locker room.
Once the teams emerged, the Rams were in control, four different players scoring during a 10-0 sortie to start the half and grab a 36-33 lead (6:14). Daemen again had the answer, ripping off a 12-2 run to end the quarter and assume a 49-40 lead (matching its’ peak lead) heading into the final ten minutes.
A good start to the final frame pulled Jefferson within 49-45 when the game’s defining sequence occurred. Paige, who was involved in several physical situations during the contest, was inadvertently clocked by an elbow in rebounding action, and fell to the ground with blood spilling from her nose. It wasn’t a pretty scene and the concerns/questions kicked in. Would she be back, and if so, when? And would she be the same effervescent player who sparked the Wildcats all season? If not, could Daemen win without her?
After some tending on the floor, Paige headed to the training room with 8:03 left. In her absence, Jefferson whittled the gap down to 52-51, and missed chances to go ahead. Wildcat wing Claire Pikett, who endured a tough regional (4-8 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT; 12 total points), came up with a momentum-changing basket at the 4:44 mark, burying a corner three-pointer to restore the margin to 55-51. Paige then returned to the court (4:32) and canned a top-of-the-key trey on her first offensive possession to make it 58-51 (4:00) and Daemen had the game in hand. Jefferson battled back but never came any closer than four points, with Daemen going 9-12 at the foul line in the final 1:19 to win, 69-62.
Paige (the regional Most Outstanding Player) netted to score 14 points while Angeletti (16 points, 6 boards), an all-tourney pick, and Lapertosa (11 points and 10 rebounds) were also in double digits. The latter was part of a bench crew that was nothing short of superb. Julia Hauer (8 points, 4 boards), Sophia Auer (7 points, 6 caroms) and Shyla Montgomery (2 points) joined Lapertosa in amassing a 28-7 bench scoring advantage. Murphy (15 points), Meinel (13 points), Robinson (12 points, 7 boards, 5 assists) and Kuczynski (10 points) contributed double figures for the Rams, with Murphy and Meinel earning all-tourney honors.
The team numbers on the stat sheet are a sight to behold – some of the wildest swings one will ever see, and they came in a regional final. Daemen dominated the glass, 43-21 – they had almost as many offensive rebounds (12) as Jefferson did defensive boards (13). That was neutralized by an insane 35 Daemen turnovers, but the Rams committed 18 of their own. Despite the +17 in turnovers, Jefferson could only craft a 31-23 advantage in points-off-turnovers. The Wildcats shot 50% overall and held the Rams to 36%, and they also made more three-pointers (6-2). All told, Jenepher Banker’s team held their ground at both ends and survived through it all. Interestingly, Banker is now 4-0 all-time at the Dana Center in NCAA tournament play; her 1982 Springfield team (when she was a freshman) won the first-ever regional game in Waltham, on the way to a national quarterfinal defeat to Tuskegee.
On the flip side, the setback was a tough one for a talented and mature squad like Jefferson to take. A 32-2 record was the ending number after a great season but their second straight regional final loss (the first back-to-back losing finalists since Bentley in 2000 and 2001) will hurt. The wait for a CACC regional champion also goes on, as Jefferson’s loss drops the loop to 0-6 at that stage (Holy Family in ’08, ’10 and ‘12; Sciences in ’18). It’s also only the fifth time in the 64-team field era that the lower seed has prevailed in the NE/Northeast/East regional title game.
The next step for Daemen is at the Elite Eight in St. Josph, Missouri, on Monday. The Wildcats were slotted in at #7 in the eight-team field (the NCAA re-seeds after regional play ends) and will face Texas Woman’s University, ironic since Daemen faced another Lone Star State outfit in the 2021 Elite Eight (eventual champion Lubbock Christian).
The Pioneers are making their maiden rip to the Elite Eight after winning the South Central regional crown as the #1 seed (besting the 8th, 6th and 5th seeds on the way). TWU enters the Elite Eight with a 32-4 record and features two double figure scorers, 6-2 junior Ashley Ingram (18.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3 apg, 61% FG) and 5-10 junior Leila Patel (13.8 ppg, 59 three-pointers). Other regular starters include 6-0 senior Scout Huffman (9.9 ppg, 53% FG) and 5-7 sophomore Jada Cesar (9.5 ppg). The Pioneers outs-score their foes by almost 12 ppg (72.4 ppg is their average), shoot 46% from the field and crush teams at the line, having made more foul shots (612) than their opponents have attempted (583) while shooting 76.5%. Their only losses have come to Henderson State (71-69), Harding (72-71), UT Tyler (61-55) and Texas Permian Basin (51-47), so they’re only 13 points away from being unbeaten.
Whether the Wildcats can become the first team since Bentley in 2016 to win a game at the Elite Eight remains to be seen. What will endure is their resilience and toughness in garnering the 2024 regional title; they fought hard every step of the way and earned their rewards.
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As always seems to be the case, the NCAA found a way to make a mess of something good and made many utter the question ‘why?”. In this situation, it’s because the NCAA monetized the 2024 Division II tournaments (men and women), denying the populace of free access to games.
In their infinite wisdom, the NCAA levied a fee upon viewers in the following tiered pricing structure:
$9.95 per game;
$29.95 for the either entire women’s or men’s tournament; and
$49.95 for both the entire women’s and men’s tournaments.
Maybe I’m naïve but isn’t the idea to increase eyeballs on the product? I’m sure there are (or will be) statistics which indicate how much the viewership grew over previous seasons, etc., but it still feels like an exercise in exploitation. Division II is a great product but it’s more regional in nature than the Division I tournaments (which aren’t on a pay tier yet but just wait…) and thus has more selective viewership. Penalizing it for wanting to view it hardly seems a fitting way to treat your consumers, be they loyal or new.
Allowing people to see any game in the Division II tournament(s) is a relatively harmless goodwill gesture. It builds community and helps draw in folks who don’t normally consume the product during the regular season. Whether it is family, friends, classmates, alumni, or local people somehow connected to the game, there are plenty of crops to harvest which would grow the fan base. Some may pay, and that’s what the NCAA hopes for. Generating something from nothing is a fabulous business model and they’ll happily embark on that path. While there is a school of thought that leans toward the concept of charging for something that gives it value it doesn’t have when free, this seems penny-smart and pound foolish.
As I seem to say too often – NCAA, you can do better than this. Allow the D2 tournaments their own spotlight and make that during the cost-free light of day.
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