Posted: Mar 05, 2018
Women’s Game Recaps #76 – 3/4/18
- It was Championship Sunday in the region with all three conferences serving up tasty title games. The final recap before the NCAA tournament stats with an epic NE10 clash…
- Macchi Smith’s right corner three-pointer with 3.8 seconds left in overtime was the decisive shot as Bentley rallied to beat Stonehill in overtime for the NE10 crown, 73-72, in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The game had to be moved from the Stonehill campus due to continued power outages and was hosted by former NE10 member Bryant, adding to the intrigue. The Falcons trailed by as many as fourteen points early in the second half but fought back to score the last seven points of regulation to force the extra session and then relied on Smith (9 points, 7 boards, 6 assists) to record all seven of their overtime points, enough to annex their twentieth NE10 title. Bentley’s last lead prior to Smith’s shot came at 8-6 (6:40 of the first period), as the Skyhawks used 8-0 and 5-0 runs to claim a 24-17 lead after one stanza. They led 37-26 at the half and by a 45-31 margin (6:23) in the third quarter before Bentley began to recover and trim the deficit to 54-46 by the end of the quarter. The Flacons kept coming but still faced a 66-59 hole with 2:08 left after a Grace Carter layin. Victoria Lux (9 points, 6 boards) and Smith scored to cut it to 66-63 and tournament Most Outstanding Player Meghan Lewis (career-high 22 points off the pine; 11 boards, 5-9 3FG, 4 steals) converted a drive with 40 seconds left to make it 66-65. Lewis then split a pair of foul shots at the :22 mark to tie it at 66 (ironically, the miss was the only one for the Falcons at the line, where they went 20-21). Stonehill turned the ball over on the next possession but Smith’s three-point try at the horn missed and it was on to OT, only the second time in 37 years the NE10 championship game had required bonus basketball (Bentley beat Merrimack in 2005). Elizabeth Grip (6 points, 7 rebounds, 7 rejections) made a free throw followed by a Kelly Martin (29 points, 10 caroms; 10-15 FG) bucket to give Stonehill a 69-66 edge to start the OT frame. It was still a four-point game (72-68) after a Martin foul shot with :43 left but Smith got two back at the line (:36.6) and after a Skyhawk turnover (one of twenty which led to a 23-7 plus in points-off-miscues for Bentley), the Falcons had a chance. After a Becca Musgrove miss the Falcons retained possession out-of-bounds, leading to Smith’s game-winner. Stonehill’s last possession was scuttled by a Lewis steal and the game was done. Monica Viapiano added 10 points off the bench for Bentley, whose substitutes scored 44 points on the day. Samantha Hyslip contributed 14 points and 6 boards for the Skyhawks, who saw a seventeen-game win streak come to an end. Stonehill shot better (41-32%) and made 14-17 at the line but turnovers hurt their cause. Both teams earned NCAA bids with Stonehill still garnering the #1 seed and hosting duties while Bentley claimed the #2 seed.
- The University of the Sciences made it back-to-back CACC championships as they came back from an early deficit to drop local rival and host Jefferson, 64-56. The Devils, backed by a balanced attack fronted by Alex Thomas (17 points), the tournament Most Outstanding Player, fell into a 22-11 gully with 6:40 left in the first half but answered back. An 18-6 run to end the half handed the Devils a 29-28 lead at the break and they kept the pressure on the Rams after the restart. Thomas made a pair of three-pointers and Sarah Abbonizio (16 points) also drilled one as part of an 11-1 surge that gave Sciences a 40-29 bulge with 6:20 to go in the third frame. The margin held to the end of the period (53-43) but the Rams showed their mettle by making a late run. A 6-0 spurt drew Jefferson within 58-54 with 1:55 to go and they were still as down by four points at the :38 mark after Abbonizio and Alynna Williams (23 points; 11-12 FT) traded 2-2 trips to the line, 60-56. That was the end of the Rams rally, however, as Abbonizio and Thomas each canned two FT’s down the stretch to create the final score. Jordan Vitelli (14 points) and Irisa Ye (11 points) also filled key roles for the Devils, who made 9-22 from deep. Jefferson didn’t have as good a day as the Devils from long-range (4-19 3FG) and came up just short but they still grabbed an NCAA at-large bid to continue their season. The back-to-back CACC titles for Sciences represents the first time in the CACC since Holy Family (2012-2013) turned the trick. As a reward the Devils picked up the #3 seed for the NCAA East regional, their highest seed in history.
- St. Thomas Aquinas won its first ECC playoff championship thanks to a 53-40 win over NYIT, booking its place in the NCAA field for the first time since 2003. The Bears missed a chance to crash the party in the process, despite knocking off top seed LIU Post in the semifinals. STAC had the lead almost all the way in this one; NYIT’s only lead was 2-0 and that was quickly quashed by a 7-0 Spartans run. The margin was 17-7 after one frame and, after a 7-2 stretch the close the half, STAC had a 34-19 bulge at the break. The Bears were unable to get the lead into single digits in the second half, trailing by as many as 21 points (49-28) before a late rally made the final tally closer than the game was. Tournament Most Outstanding Player (and ECC Player of the Year) Jenna Erickson led the Spartans with 21 points while Adiya Henderson (15 points, 15 boards) and Emily Preston (12 rebounds) added power on the glass. STAC dominated the boards (54-36), leading to eleven more shots (63-52 FGA), a key part of their success. Maia Hood’s 12 points topped NYIT’s stat sheet in a game that saw both teams struggle to shoot accurately (STAC 27%; NYIT 23%). The Bears end up a game shy of twenty wins and the NCAA tournament while St. Thomas Aquinas earned the #4 seed in the regional field.
- The Division II NCAA East Regional tournament will begin on Friday at the Merkert Gymnasium on the campus of Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts. #3 seed Sciences will face #6 seed LIU Post to start the day at noon, followed by #2 Bentley taking on #7 Jefferson at 2:30. The other side of the bracket has the host and #1 seed Stonehill meeting #8 Southern Connecticut at 5, followed by #4 seed St. Thomas Aquinas confronting #5 seed Caldwell at 7:30. The semifinals take place on Saturday (5 and 7:30) and the title game is slated for Monday at 7pm.