* Playoff clarity was the order of the day on Wednesday in both the ECC and CACC. Not all questions were answered but there were some things decided. The recap begins with a look at the final playoff spot in the ECC…
* The University of the District of Columbia claimed a 69-46 win over Queens in the nation’s capital, putting the Firebirds in control of the last ECC playoff berth and ending the Knights’ season. Alexus King (20 points; 8-12 FG, 3-6 3FG), Maya Thomas (15 points, 6 boards) and Tyra Coombs (13 points, 9 rebounds) topped the ticket for UDC as they scored the last eight points of the first half to establish a 35-22 edge. The Knights, who end the campaign on a six-game slide, could not get within single digits thereafter and lost their grip on a post season spot. Raiana Brown (19 points, 12 boards; 6-12 FG, 7-11 FT) and Lucy Tougas (10 points) led the QC effort but the only area where they out-shined UDC was at the line (15-25; UDC 4-11 FT). Meanwhile, the Firebirds shot more accurately (44%-32%), won the glass (43-33) and fared much better from three-point land (9-19; QC 1-11 3FG). UDC will secure the #6 place with a win over St. Thomas Aquinas in their last regular season game but if they lose and Bridgeport beats Mercy, the Purple Knights will advance.
* St. Thomas Aquinas made sure they secured a first round ECC playoff bye, knocking off Bridgeport, 71-42, in Connecticut. The Spartans also reached the 20-win mark for the third straight season with the victory, the sixth team in the region to hit that plateau thus far this winter. Ruth Adams (27 points, 15 boards; 9-17 FG, 2-3 3FG, 7-8 FT) was the star turn for STAC and she had aid from Zaria Thomas (13 points) and Emily Preston (11 rebounds) as the visitors built a 33-17 halftime lead. UB fell further into the hole after three periods (56-29) and put their playoff hopes in jeopardy (see above) as a result. Alyzae Davis and Janiece Loney led the Purple Knights with 10 points each but they were distinctly second best from three-point range (STAC 9-23; UB 1-12) and off the boards (STAC, 48-31).
* The CACC’s playoff teams and match-ups are all set in both North and South Divisions. In the North, Nyack will take the #4 seed despite their 68-62 setback to Bloomfield, the latter snapping a fourteen-game losing skid. The Bears managed to repel a couple of Warrior runs in the second half after grabbing a 36-32 halftime lead led by Caitlin Townes (22 points; 9-13 FG, 4-7 3FG), Jaylah Bennett (9 points, 9 boards) and DaShanique Ruffin (9 points, 8 rebounds). The final push for Nyack saw them close to within 65-62 at the 1:14 mark after a 6-1 flurry but they didn’t score again and Alaisha Mumford canned a trio of foul shots in the last 19 seconds to ice the game for Bloomfield. Kyla Given (17 points, 6 boards) and Sarah Wilson (12 points, 8 caroms) led the Nyack effort but their team stat profile (27% FG; 13-39 3FG; 2-17 2FG; 19-28 FT) was all over the map. The Bears shot 46% and made 8-21 from deep to help them annex the win. Nyack, which holds a one-game lead over Concordia and the tiebreaker, will visit Sciences in the CACC playoffs on Tuesday.
* Dominican slipped past Concordia, 79-71, to ensure they will be the #2 seed from the CACC North and host Jefferson in the playoffs next week. The Chargers won each of the first three periods to create a 61-43 lead and still held a 74-59 edge late before an 8-0 Clipper run (74-67, :42) made things look a bit closer than they actually were. Taylor Tomlinson (15 points, 8 boards), Khay’la Latimer (13 points, 7 boards), Alexis Suarez (12 points) and Ashley Merritt (10 points) shared the load for DC as they out-shot the Clippers, 43%-37%. Christina Brown (18 points), Shanice Graves (18 points, 11 caroms), Nicole Nicholson (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Jaayden Lafontant (11 points, 7 rebounds) filled key roles for Concordia.
* Rebecca Morrison (17 points), Tina Lebron (16 points, 6 caroms) and Halle Brown (12 points) led Caldwell to a 75-55 win over Felician to lock up the #3 seed in the CACC North and book a playoff visit to Holy Family next week. The Cougars held the lead at halftime (40-28) and after three frames (56-47) and blew the game apart with an 11-0 fourth quarter surge (67-49, 3:59). They enjoyed the upper hand from the field (43%-35% FG) and three-point turf (10-29; Felician 1-19 3FG) in the victory. Briana Lee (23 points, 9 boards) played well for the Golden Falcons, who did shine in the paint (42-28) and in second-chance points (18-5) despite the reverse.
* Anjelai Hayes’ three-pointer with 1:18 left broke a 59-all tie and helped Holy Family earn a 64-61 win over local foe Chestnut Hill to nail down the #2 CACC South seed. The Tigers led much of the way, including 50-39 entering the fourth quarter, but the Griffins quickly made this a battle with a 9-1 spree to kick off the last frame (50-48, 6:28). Cassie Sebold (16 points, 15 assists) tied the game at 59 (1:43) with a basket but Hayes followed with her triple to put HFU ahead for good. Leah Miller (14 points, 7 boards) and Elizabeth Radley (20 points, 7 rebounds) swapped baskets to make to 64-61 with 42 ticks left and both teams missed chances to score on their next possessions. CHC had one last chance to force overtime but Sebold (:09) and Lauren Crim (15 points) both could not convert last-gasp three-pointers. Mia Ehling added 12 points for the Tigers, who led by as many as 16 points in the early going. Chestnut Hill is #4 seed in the CACC South Division and will travel to Post in next week’s tournament opener.
* Jefferson stayed hot, rolling over Goldey-Beacom, 79-52, to extend their winning streak to eight games. Alynna Williams (28 points; 11-21 FG, 4-9 3FG), Haley Meinel (15 points; 6-11 FG) and Maeve McCann (11 points) submitted solid outings for the Rams as they jumped to a 45-34 halftime lead and ended the third quarter on a killer 12-0 binge (63-42). The Lightning, even with good efforts from Alexis Harrison (16 points, 9 boards; 7-9 FG, 2-3 FT) and Sarah Round (12 points), had no answer and lost their third in a row. Jefferson was the better unit from the floor (48%-37% FG) and forced three times as many turnovers (21-7) as they committed, eventually yielding a 26-9 advantage in points-off-TO’s. The Rams will travel to Dominican in the CACC tourney nest week.
* In a clash of two teams playing their penultimate games of the season, Georgian Court beat Wilmington, 94-78. Both teams placed five players in double figures in a high-scoring affair that was decided by a huge third quarter from the Lions. GCU trailed at the half, 39-38, but shot 54% from the floor in the third frame and out-scored the Wildcats, 31-14. In the midst of the stanza was a 12-0 run but GCU dominated the entire ten minute span and held an insurmountable 69-53 lead once it was done. Jada Atchison (24 points, 6 boards) and Hanna Thrainsdottir (near triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists) were the key Lions but Tian Addison (12 points, 6 boards) also had a strong game. Emily Ansah (20 points, a career-high), Kiara Eubanks (16 points) and LaShyra Williams (15 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for the shorthanded Wildcats, who only dressed six players. GCU had the edge from long-range (8-1 in triples) and with the ball (an excellent 30/7 assist/turnover ratio), more than negating Wilmington’s advantage at the stripe (21-25; GCU 4-8 FT).
* The NCAA regional rankings were released yesterday and there are a few changes in the East Region. All ten teams remain the same with the top four (Adelphi, Stonehill, Sciences, Bentley) in the same spots. St. Anselm went up two spots to #5, jumping Daemen (6th) and St. Thomas Aquinas (7th). Le Moyne stays #8 while Molloy (#9) and Pace (#10) swapped places. The rankings considered games through last Sunday.