Women’s Notebook – Defending champions knock out Daemen at Elite Eight
The regional Division II season ended on Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio, where undefeated (21-0), top-ranked and defending national champion Lubbock Christian beat Daemen in the Elite Eight, 66-49. Jenepher Banker’s Wildcats gave an excellent account of themselves and were within three points midway through the third period but the powerful Lady Chaparrals proved too tough and pulled away thereafter to advance to the national semifinals.
Top Wildcats hang with Lady Chaps starters
Caroline White (20 points, 9 boards) and Katie Titus (9 points, 7 caroms), who were both named WBCA Honorable Mention All-Americans, led the way for Daemen with Mickayla Ivy adding 10 points to the effort. For LCU, All-American Allie Schulte had 12 points while Emma Middleton (17 points, 6 boards) and Ashton Duncan (12 points) also had strong games.
LCU has the edge in most areas
Lubbock Christian enjoyed a better night than Daemen in almost every statistical category, including shooting (39%-31%), three-point production (LCU 9-27; Daemen 4-16), assist/turnover ratio (LCU 17/6; Daemen 9/15), points-off-TO’s (20-5) and paint scoring (30-14). The only place Daemen held the upper hand was at the foul line (17-20; LCU 5-5).
First quarter stakes LCU to lead
The game’s only tie was 2-2, immediately followed by a 13-3 Lady Chap run which included a trio of three-points (15-5, 3:37). They led 20-14 after one frame and 28-21 at halftime.
Third period provides separation
Titus’ triple with 6:36 to play in the third period pulled Daemen within 32-29, capping an 8-4 spell to open the second half. That proved to be the high-water mark for the Wildcats, though, as LCU tore off a 12-0 spree to extend the gap to 44-29 (2:19). Daemen endured a dry spell for almost five minutes in the span and closed the quarter trailing, 49-33. LCU’s largest lead was 22 points in the final stanza as they never lost their grip on the contest.
Three of four higher seeds prevail at Elite Eight
LCU is the #1 seed at the 2021 Elite Eight and their victory sets up a semifinal game with #5 seed Central Missouri, the only other team left in the field with a Division II national title. They account for three of the last four championships, with Lubbock Christian winning in ’16 and ’19, while Central Missouri claimed the ’18 title. On the other side of the bracket chalk held, as #2 seed Lander and #3 seed Drury both earned victories. Lander is in the Elite Eight for the second time but they have represented different regions (the South this time and the Southeast in ’12) each time. Drury is at their fifth Elite Eight and reached the championship game in ’04, when they were part of the South Central region (they are in the Great Lakes these days) but are still seeking their first title.
Elite Eight data
This is the fourth straight time the East region representative has lost at the national quarterfinal stage; for what it’s worth, that is the exact timeframe that the NCAA has been seeding the Elite Eight teams. In ’17 #5 Queens lost to Harding; in ’18, #4 seed Stonehill fell to IUP; and in ’19, #7 seed Saint Anselm came up short against Southwest Oklahoma. Daemen, the #8 seed, continued that trend… The last team from this region to advance was Bentley in ’16. The Falcons bested Virginia Union in the quarterfinals, 53-52, before losing to eventual national champion Lubbock Christian in the semifinals, 67-57.
Thus, this asterisk season is done. In all honesty, I have some overall thoughts to purge at some stage but not right now. Hopefully I can pull it together in the next week and fully slam the door on what happened – when that happens, I’ll get it out and move on. Until then, thanks for rolling with us.
Questions, comments, ideas, rants? Glad to hear them. Email me at Anfield13@aol.com.
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