Posted: Mar 04, 2018
Women’s Game Recaps #75 – 3/3/18
- The ECC and CACC played their respective semifinal games on Saturday and they produced one real thriller and set up a pair of enticing championship contests. We start with the former, which included the top seed being toppled…
- Maia Hood’s offensive rebound and put-back basket at the horn capped a superb comeback for #4 seed NYIT, which ousted ECC top seed and regular season champion, LIU Post, at the ECC semifinals in Rochester, 80-78. The Bears, who will play in their third ECC title game in the past four seasons on Sunday, trailed out of the gate (8-0) and faced a 31-14 deficit after one frame. At that juncture, the Pioneers had shot a ridiculous 13-16 from the field, and they increased the gap to a game-high margin of 19 points (35-16) early in the second frame. The halftime tally was 45-29 but NYIT changed things immediately after the restart. A 10-0 Bears spree cut the deficit to 45-39 and a 12-0 explosion later in the period gave NYIT their first lead, 53-51 (2:57). From that point on the teams were never separated by more than three points. Shannon Doyle connected on a three-pointer for LIU Post with 14.2 seconds left to knot the game at 78 but Hood (17 points, 10 boards) cleaned up a Corrin Baggs miss at the other end and scored at the buzzer to finish off a tense rivalry game. Nina Vukosavljevic (19 points, 7 assists), Shalie Frierson (16 points) and Taylor Tripptree (16 points, 4-6 3FG) all played key roles for the Bears, who handed LIU Post their only league loss during the regular season and backed it up with this victory. Mikaiya Moore (19 points, 9-13 FG), Taylah Hudson (13 points, 7 caroms) and Sasha Patterson (10 points, 11 rebounds) did the job for the Pioneers, who despite the loss are almost a lock for an at-large NCAA tournament bid. Both combines shot well (NYIT, 52-48%) but the Bears made more hay off turnovers (24-14) and as a result they’ll have a chance to claim the ECC crown and an NCAA automatic bid in the final against St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Alex Bertolino (career-high 33 points; 11-19 FG, 4-8 3FG, 7-9 FT) was the star of the show for #2 seed St. Thomas Aquinas, who closed the game with a burst to beat #3 seed and host Roberts Wesleyan in the other ECC semifinal, 68-52. The Spartans held a slim 52-49 lead with 6:20 left when they sprinted away from the Redhawks, going on a 14-0 bomb (66-49, :43) to ensure their fourth trip to the ECC title tilt. STAC used an imbedded 8-0 run to build a 24-16 lead after one frame but RWC ended the first half on a 10-2 jag to draw within 32-30. The teams traded the lead in the third period but a 6-0 spurt to close the frame put the Spartans ahead, 45-41, and they never lost the lead. Julia Winnik (9 points) was the next highest scorer for the Spartans but Emily Preston (8 points; career-best 19 rebounds) was the co-star for the winners. STAC dominated the glass (50-29), leading to twenty more shot attempts (70-50), more than the Redhawks could overcome. Emily Miller, Necedah James (16 points each) and Sara Nady (11 points) topped the RWC effort and they await a possible NCAA at-large bid. STAC, meanwhile, likely solidified their spot as the #4 team in the regional field, and will look to go into the NCAA’s with their first ECC crown on their mantle as they face NYIT on Sunday.
- Defending CACC champion, the University of the Sciences, will try to make it back-to-back titles after their 61-52 semifinal victory over Caldwell in Philadelphia. Alex Thomas (17 points), Jordan Vitelli (15 points), Irisa Ye (13 points) and Laura Trisch (11 rebounds) sparked a balanced Devils attack as the South Division regular season winner created just enough space in the fourth period to hold off the Cougars. Kristen Drogsler (14 points), Karlie O’Driscoll (11 points, 6 boards) and Sharell Sanders (11 points) led the way for Caldwell, which seems set for an NCAA at-large tournament bid despite the setback. The game was even at the half (24-each) and stayed tight the rest of the way (the final margin was the game’s largest). The clubs swapped 5-0 runs in the fourth period with Sciences ahead, 43-42 (6:49) once it was done, but an 8-2 Devils binge immediately followed to break Caldwell’s back. Vitelli and Trisch hit three-pointers in the spell that made it a 51-44 game with 1:53 left and the Cougars never again came closer than five points. Sciences made more triples while shooting poorly (8-35; Caldwell 3-12 3FG) but they made amends on the glass with a 37-27 edge. The Devils will face host Jefferson in Sunday’s title game, which means that six of the last seven CACC playoff titles will have been claimed by teams from Philadelphia.
- Tournament host (and #2 South Division seed) Jefferson rubbed out the #1 North Division seed Bloomfield in the other CACC semifinal, 79-67, to virtually confirm an NCAA tournament bid no matter what transpires in the title game. The Rams took control of the game with a big second period which included a 13-0 burst that snapped an 18-all tie and propelled them to a 43-27 halftime edge. The Bears, out of the NCAA tourney picture, couldn’t mount any sustained comeback in the second half as they trailed by as many as 22 points and never cut the deficit to single digits. Alynna Williams (20 points, 6 boards), Jessica Kaminski (17 points, 9-9 FT) and Rachel Day (15 points) carried the scoring for the Rams, who overwhelmed BC from long-range (10-25; BC 3-11 3FG) and in points-off-turnovers (28-15). Kiamsha Bynes (17 points, 7-11 FG), Zhane Robinson (16 points, 10 caroms) and Bobbi Floyd (12 points) played well for the Bears but their season likely came to a close with this result.