IWU rallies from 23 down to reach home

Mar 12, 2011
Mia Smith and Illinois Wesleyan had plenty to celebrate on Saturday night.
 UW-Stevens Point photo by Tom Kujawski
Wash U
Washington University strikes a familiar pose and will return to Illinois Wesleyan.

Nobody wanted to return home this weekend the same way Illinois Wesleyan did. And the Titans did so in dramatic fashion, finishing the game on a 26-9 run and rallying to defeat George Fox 61-60. It gets the Titans to the Final Four on their home floor. IWU led for only four seconds on the night after George Fox jumped out to a 23-2 lead.

Nikki Preston sank two pressure free throws with four seconds left, completing a comeback from 23 points down. 

During a crucial late-game stretch, the Bruins missed four shots, committed three turnovers against the Titans’ full-court press, and made only one free throw, by Breezy Rinehart-Young with 3:08 left. IWU got baskets by Britt Hasselbring and Olivia Lett, then Preston took over, hitting a layup at 1:13, a three with 45 seconds left, and the two game-winning free throws. Haley Cusick missed a desperation 3-point try at the buzzer as the Bruins’ season ended.

Chelsie Schweers scored 27 points, 20 of them in the first half as Christopher Newport survived a second-half run and pulled away to a 62-50 win at Lebanon Valley. It's the first trip to the Final Four for CNU in the sport of basketball.

For more than 10 minutes of game time between the first and second half, the Captains were held to just five points and one field goal. Suzie Noyes' jumper with 14:57 remaining wrapped up a 16-5 run that got the home team back in the game, down just seven at 37-30.

The teams would trade baskets for several minutes before Lebanon Valley again made a small run to get within three on a layup from two-time MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year Andrea Hoover with 10:24 remaining. It was one of just two buckets made by Hoover, who was coming off a near triple-double in the second round. Then, just under four minutes later, reserve Tierney Hiltz knocked down a very long three from the right wing that got the Dutchmen as close as they had been since the opening tip, at 47-45 with 6:46 remaining.

That set up a dramatic 3-pointer from Division III's all-time leader, as Schweers got a screen from Lauren Gural and knocked down a step-back three two steps back of the arc at the top of the key. The jumper gave CNU the two-possession lead back, one they would never relinquish.

Meghan Herrick scored 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting but Wash U got 14 from Kathryn Berger, 13 from Alex Hoover and 12 from Brianne Monahan off the bench to beat Chicago 63-58. Wash U had to beat four Top 10 teams to return to the Final Four.

Chicago had swept the regular season series from Wash U in the UAA. Chicago, which was appearing in the NCAA sectional championship for the first time in school history, had its 21-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 13 snapped with the loss. 

After a 1-for-13 start, the Bears were 11-of-17 shooting over the final 12 minutes of the first half and finished the period shooting 40 percent from the field while limiting Chicago to just 25 percent (7-of-28) shooting. 

Chicago found its offense to start the second half, opening the period on a 14-6 run while shooting 7-of-11 from the field. Jenna Lillemoe drove through the paint for a lay-up with 13:45 remaining to pull the Maroons within one, 39-38, but Washington University weathered the Maroons' hot start and responded with an 13-3 run of its own to take back control of the game.

Jaclyn Daigneault scored a game-high 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting as the Amherst women punched a ticket to the Final Four, rolling past previously unbeaten Babson 68-49. It's the second consecutive trip to Bloomington for the Lord Jeffs, who improve to 30-1.