| Scranton celebrates its eighth straight Landmark Conference title on Saturday afternoon. Photo by ZJ Morse, University of Scranton athletics |
The top three teams in Division III women's basketball completed perfect runs to the NCAA Tournament by winning their automatic bids on Saturday. Elsewhere, Knox College secured its first ever Tournament bid, Cortland busted a bubble and the ASC tournament had a surprise winner.
- Saturday, Feb. 25 scoreboard: Men | Women
- Who’s in the NCAA Tournament: Men | Women
- Saturday men: Bubbles a-poppin'
- Friday women: NYU, Brooklyn punch tickets…
- Friday men: Rowan and Baruch do, too
For the second straight season, Christopher Newport will enter the NCAA Tournament with an undefeated record and the No. 1 ranking in the country. The Captains ensured themselves of those distinctions and earned Bill Broderick his 250th coaching victory in a 75-56 win over Mary Washington in the Coast-to-Coast tournament title game.
CNU used its usual blend of balanced offense and stingy defense to beat the Eagles for the third time this season. The Captains (26-0) shot 45 percent from the field while holding Mary Washington to 19 field goals and 16 turnovers. Gabbi San Diego, Sondra Fan and Katy Rader all scored double figures for Christopher Newport. Jordan Carpenter posted 30 points and nine rebounds for Mary Washington (22-5) which should have a good chance at an at-large bid to the Tournament.
No. 2 Transylvania will also enter the NCAA Tournament with a spotless record for the second season in a row. The Pioneers outscored Hanover 29-8 in the third period and that was the difference in Transylvania's 85-58 victory. The Panthers hung close and only trailed the Pioneers by one at the half. But Transy dominated the third quarter, shooting 11 for 19 with five 3-pointers, while holding Hanover to 3-for-14 shooting. Kennedi Stacy and Madison Kellione had four 3-pointers apiece and Dasia Thornton (16 points, 10 rebounds) helped the Pioneers to a 34-12 scoring advantage in the paint.
No. 3 Scranton completed a perfect run into the NCAA Tournament by defeating Elizabethtown, 69-54. The Lady Royals opened the second half with a 9-1 run that gave them a 46-33 lead and the Blue Jays couldn’t get within single digits the rest of the way. Kaci Kranson and Maddie Harnett each hit three 3-pointers for Scranton (27-0), which will make its 35th NCAA Tournament appearance and 10th in a row. Summer McNulty scored 20 points for Elizabethtown (22-4) which is in good position for an at-large bid.
After splitting its regular season games against Marietta, No. 18 Ohio Northern topped the Pioneers in the OAC title game, 60-45. The Polar Bears led wire-to-wire and held Marietta to 26 percent shooting (17 for 66). Brynn Serbin flirted with a triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists), Kristen Luersman had a double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Brooke Allen scored 20 for Ohio Northern (23-4).
No. 19 Loras rode a strong third quarter past No. 24 Wartburg, 72-61, and into the NCAA Tournament. The Duhawks shot 71 percent in the third period and hit four 3-pointers, giving them a 60-48 lead entering the final period. Cierra Bachmann converted six free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the victory for Loras (23-4). Jaedon Murphy scored 14 points for Wartburg (21-6) which awaits its fate in the pool of teams that need at-large bids.
No. 6 Hope won the MIAA’s automatic bid, 76-65, and dropped No. 13 Trine into the at-large pool. Savannah Feenstra had a big night for the Flying Dutch, tallying 23 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes. Claire Baguley added 12 points with a perfect 8-for-8 showing at the foul line. Sidney Wagner, who won the MIAA MVP award, led Trine with 22 points. The Thunder (21-6) will likely take one of the 19 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament
Cortland picked up its first win over a regionally ranked opponent of the season, and it’s the only one the Red Dragons will need to make the NCAA Tournament. The Red Dragons outlasted SUNY New Paltz 57-52 for the SUNYAC title and automatic bid.
The teams battled neck-and-neck with Cortland taking a 52-51 lead on Emily Morano’s free throws with 51 seconds left. The Red Dragons eventually pushed their lead to three on Nyia Longford’s free throws and the Hawks missed their three-point attempt. Morano added two more free throws to put the game away. Longford posted a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) for Cortland (23-4) while Brianna Fitzgerald poured in 28 points in a full 40 minutes for SUNY New Paltz. Cortland's win likely busts someone's bubble as SUNY New Paltz is in good position for an at-large bid.
Texas-Dallas became the lowest seeded team to clinch an automatic bid so far, as the ASC's fourth-seeded Comets topped East Texas Baptist, 63-57. One night after beating the buzzer against Hardin-Simmons, Jordan Maxwell was the difference for Texas-Dallas again. She scored 12 points, eight of them from the foul line, for the Comets (19-9). Cierra Trigg added 16 points with four 3-pointers for Texas-Dallas.
Greensboro completed its dominating run through the USA South Athletic Conference with a 97-90 win over N.C. Wesleyan in the tournament finale. The Pride started the game on fire, scoring 34 points on 13 for 20 shooting in the first period. The Bishops pulled within three on Corynthian Williams’ three-pointer with two minutes to play. Ta’Keria Legette answered with a three-point play for Greensboro (26-2) and the Pride finished their 23rd win in a row.
Color me impressed: Redlands, Blues, Big Blue win titles
| Whitman celebrates after winning the NWC title on its home floor on Saturday. Whitman College athletics photo |
The last championship game of the day had one of the best finishes, as Redlands edged La Verne 70-69 for the SCIAC title.
Redlands had a 46-31 lead on the Leopards, but La Verne outscored the Bulldogs 21-6 in the third period and took a 52-50 lead into the fourth quarter. The game was tied several times down the stretch until Alyssa Downs made a layup and Aliyah Anderson added a free throw that put Redlands up, 70-67. La Verne pulled within one on Dejanee Gill's layup with six seconds left and forced a turnover on Redlands' inbounds pass. But La Verne could only manage a tough shot in the lane that deflected off the backboard and Hannah Jerrier grabbed the defensive rebound for the Bulldogs.
Downs paced Redlands (19-7) with 19 points while Jerrier finished one rebound shy of a double-double (12 points, nine rebounds). Gill scored 22 points for La Verne, which finishes with a 24-3 record.
No. 23 Millikin used another strong performance from Elyce Knudsen and good free throw shooting down the stretch to stave off Augustana in the CCIW tournament finale, 57-52. Augustana pulled even at 52 on Emily Brenneisen's three-pointer with under two minutes to play, but the Big Blue shut out the Vikings the rest of the way. Emily White's three-point play put Millikin in front and Sophie Darden's free throws secured the CCIW title for the Big Blue. Knudsen led all scorers with 17 points.
Whitman battled past Pacific, 66-60, in an NWC title game in which neither team led by more than two possessions at any point. After Whitman briefly took a 51-45 lead, Brilie Kovaloff answered with a driving layup for Pacific. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter until the Blues were finally able to wrap up the victory when Lindsay Drango made four late free throws. Korin Baker just missed a double-double for Whitman (21-5), which will play in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. Kovaloff was stellar in defeat for Pacific, scoring 33 points in 35 minutes.
Rowan used a balanced attack to down New Jersey City, 79-70, and claim the NJAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Profs opened up a 10-point lead on Nicole Mallard's layup to start the fourth quarter and still held a double-digit advantage with three minutes to play. The Gothic Knights fought back and pulled within five on Jalynn Clark's layup with under a minute to play. New Jersey City was forced to foul and Rowan made its final four free throw attempts. Mallard was one of four players to score double figures for Rowan (20-8) while All-American Damarais Rodriguez scored 22 points for New Jersey City.
Familiar faces clinch auto bids
| Marymount celebrates after beating Cabrini for the 2022-23 Atlantic East Conference title. Photo by Will Nelson, Marymount University |
Messiah wrapped up its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance with ease, as the Falcons cruised past Alvernia, 60-37 in the MAC Commonwealth tournament finale. Messiah shot 47 percent (24 for 51) and hit five of its 10 three-point attempts while Alvernia went 1-for-18 from three and shot 26 percent from the field. Megan Zimmerman led four Falcons in double figures with 14 points.
No. 9 DeSales showed why it allows the fewest points in the country in a suffocating 59-36 win over Stevens in the MAC Freedom title game. The Bulldogs held the Ducks to 27 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers against six assists. Abigail Rafferty posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds for DeSales (26-1), which won its fifth straight MAC Freedom title. Stevens (22-4), which missed an at-large bid to the Tournament last year, should be the first one to the table from Region 4 this season.
St. John Fisher rolled over its crosstown rival Nazareth for its 21st straight win and another Empire 8 title, 78-55. Claire Kruszka, Kaitlyn Walker and Sidney Tomasso outscored Nazareth on their own, combining for 56 points. Kruszka also had nine assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Cardinals (25-2). St. John Fisher will make its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row.
Chandler Eddleton scored nine points in the fourth quarter and Marymount held off Cabrini, 53-49, for the Atlantic East championship. Both teams leaned on their defense as the teams combined for just 60 points entering the final quarter. The scoring picked up from there, especially for Eddleton who finished with 14 points and went 8 for 12 from the foul line. Marymount (23-4) will make its 22nd trip to the NCAA Tournament.
St. Vincent shook off a slow first half and defeated Chatham 68-52 for the Presidents Athletic Conference title. After scoring 23 points in the first half, the Bearcats scored 21 in the third quarter and took a 44-42 lead into the fourth quarter. St. Vincent held the Cougars to two field goals in the final seven minutes and went 20 for 21 from the foul line. Emily Cavacini made all eight of her attempts on her way to 22 points for the Bearcats (21-4).
Prairie Fire, Gorlocks get dramatic wins
| Knox College is going dancing for the first time in program history. Knox College athletics photo |
Knox, Webster, and La Roche won thrillers and automatic bids in conferences that will only send their champion to the NCAA Tournament.
After splitting the regular season title with Ripon and losing the coin toss to host the MWC tournament, Knox edged the Red Hawks in the championship game, 64-61. Kristen Herndon’s layup put the Prairie Fire in front 60-58 in the final minute and, after a Ripon three-second violation, Kylee Callahan pushed Knox’s lead to four. Bella Opelt hit an open three with 12 seconds left to pull Ripon within one but Callahan added two more free throws to seal the win and Knox’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Knox (22-5) went 1 for 12 from three but outscored the Red Hawks 40-26 in the paint.
Webster survived a late push by Westminster (Mo.) to win the SLIAC crown, 87-84, and book a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
After Emily Wilson split a pair of free throws that put Webster up six with 1:32 to play, Westminster’s Annette Rameriez got fouled shooting a three and made all three free throws. The Blue Jays pulled within one but Julie Blaudendistel responded with a layup and Wilson added two free throws to give the Gorlocks a five-point lead with 25 seconds left. The Blue Jays got two free throws and a chance to tie the game, but came up empty. The Gorlocks have won three of the last four and four of the last six SLIAC titles.
Machia Hairston’s late layup lifted La Roche over Penn State-Behrend, 71-70, in the AMCC championship game. The Nittany Lions had had just taken the lead on Brianna Dean’s jumper with 15 seconds to play. The Redhawks called time out, got the ball to Jazmine Dunn and she found Hairston for the game winner. Hairston went off for 24 points and 17 rebounds for La Roche (20-7), which outrebounded Penn State-Behrend by 22.
St. Norbert won a low-scoring affair over Wisconsin Lutheran, 48-42, and added the NACC tournament title to its regular season title. St. Norbert scored 20 points in the first half, but Wisconsin Lutheran led just 24-20 at the break. The Green Knights held the Warriors to five points in the third quarter and got enough offense from Olivia DeCleene (16 points) and Chloe Gruszynski (10 points) to secure the win.
The UEC title game had a similar story and almost the exact same score. Morrisville State held Penn State-Harrisburg to 2-for-20 shooting in the final quarter and ground out a 47-42 win. The Mustangs didn’t shoot much better in that period (3 for 12) but they made four free throws to secure the victory. Taylor Colone-Microni scored 16 points for Morrisville State (19-7), which won its second consecutive conference crown despite giving up 22 offensive rebounds to the Nittany Lions.
Ohio Wesleyan’s strong fourth quarter carried the Battling Bishops past Oberlin, 79-71, in the NCAC championship game. Ohio Wesleyan started the final quarter on a 13-2 run and led 66-57 with four minutes to play after Alyssa Griner’s layup. The Battling Bishops pushed their lead to 12 points on another Griner layup and then finished the win by making their shots at the free throw line. Ohio Wesleyan (18-10) overcame a 27-3 scoring deficit from behind the arc by going 24 for 30 from the foul line.
Merchant Marine will set sail for the NCAA Tournament after sinking Manhattanville in the Skyline Tournament championship, 56-47. Lauren Hunter posted a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds) for the Mariners which got all 56 points from its starters. Madison Demos also had a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) for Merchant Marine (24-2).
New season, same winners in New England
| Rhode Island College claimed its third straight Little East title on Saturday afternoon. Rhode Island College athletics photo |
Rhode Island College surged past Eastern Connecticut and into the NCAA Tournament with a 61-52 win in the Little East Conference championship. After Eastern Connecticut took a 41-37 lead, RIC scored the next 12 points and took a 51-41 lead on Angela Nardolillo’s putback. The Anchorwomen sealed the win by making 14 free throws in the final period. Antonia Corsinetti led Rhode Island College (23-3) with 17 points while Anna Barry rolled up 25 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for Eastern Connecticut (22-4).
Maine Maritime started and finished strong to win the NAC title and automatic bid over SUNYIT, 71-55. The Mariners outscored the Wildcats by 10 in the first quarter and held SUNYIT in check during the fourth period until the game was well in hand. Erianna Moore scored 18 points on six 3-pointers for Maine Maritime (22-6), which made 15 three-pointers as a team.
Mitchell dominated Eastern Nazarene, 82-59, and won the NECC’s final women’s basketball championship. The Mariners broke up open the game with a 30-point third quarter and cruised from there. All five Mitchell (18-9) starters scored double figures, led by Sam McKenna who had 20 points and seven rebounds. The NECC only had four teams this season but still receives an automatic bid because it was in the final season of its grace period after dropping below the threshold required by the NCAA to award AQs.
Notre Dame (Md.) will make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007, as the Gators dominated Clarks Summit, 83-57, in the CSAC championship. Notre Dame hit five 3-pointers in a 29-point third quarter that put the Gators way out in front, 70-43. Notre Dame held a 28-point advantage on points in the paint and a 21-rebound advantage. Kori People paced the Gators (23-4) with 24 points.