By Mark Simon, D3hoops.com
VIRGINIA BEACH — Wilmington has a field trip in its future,
one to remember the equivalent of a magic carpet ride through the
2003-2004 season.
“We might take a trip to Indianapolis to see our championship
banner,’’ said Wilmington senior Brittney Morris, who
was out with a torn ACL, but whose words at Thursday’s
championship banquet served as inspiration for her teammates.
“That might be the closest to Disneyland that we’ll
get.’’
Wilmington won its first national title in any sport, topping No.
1 ranked, previously unbeaten Bowdoin, 59-53 in Saturday's national
championship game. The team finished the season on a nine-game
winning streak, coming from the No. 3 seed in the Ohio Athletic
Conference to win that league, then won six straight games in the
NCAA Tournament.
The Quakers won the same way they won throughout tournament, with
a second-half comeback that required hitting big shots in crucial
situations.
Wilmington went on a game-deciding 11-0 run that began with 3:08
remaining, to overcome a 51-47 deficit. Freshman point guard
Samantha Hood, who played poised in both the semifinals and
championship game (a combined 13 assists and one turnover) drained
a 3-pointer off a feed from Amy Kincer to put the Quakers up 54-51
with 1:42 remaining.
Offensive rebounds were also a key to Wilmington’s success.
The Quakers pulled down 23 boards, giving them plenty of
second-chance opportunities in a game in which they shot only 29
percent from the field. Tournament MVP, Wilmington senior forward
Tara Rausch (19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) had seven,
and wore Bowdoin out late in the game. Rausch set the tone with
back to back blocks in the opening minute of the second half, had
six straight points to cut Bowdoin’s lead from nine points to
three with seven minutes remaining, and added two free throws and
two of her seven offensive rebounds in the final minute.
“(Offensive rebounding) is about will and
desire,’’ said Wilmington guard Amy Kincer, who was
named to the All-Tournament team after an 11 point, 10 rebound
performance. “We wanted it more. The rims were tight here. We
knew there would be a lot of rebounds, long
rebounds.’’
Bowdoin had a 28-23 lead at halftime on the strength of eight
points from All-American guard Lora Trenkle, but as Scheve noted
with a laugh “We had them right where we wanted them.
Wilmington made the necessary adjustments in the locker room and
came out with more energy and intensity over the last 20 minutes.
That showed in offensive rebounding on the stat sheet, but also in
little things, like tipped passes and dives for loose balls.
“I realized that something had to change,’’
Rausch said. “The offensive boards were something that we
could control.’’
Freshman forward Eileen Flaherty led Bowdoin with 14 points.
Trenkle, an all-tournament selection, finished with 12 points and
eight assists, but was bottled up defensively in the second half,
particularly by Hood in the last couple of minutes.
Big shots in big spots came from the likes of Hood and backcourt
mate Emily Cummins, who scored on a four-point play with 4:28
remaining, trimming the deficit from six points to two. Siobhan
Zarilla also played tough late for Wilmington, finishing with four
points and 11 rebounds.
What might have been Wilmington’s most valuable contribution
came from Morris, who was picked by Scheve to represent the team
when representatives from each squad got up to speak at
Thursday’s dinner. She decided, in a polite but passionate
manner, to fire up her teammates. She let it be known that her team
was there to win.
“We took that to heart,’’ Rausch said. “It
was great to hear her say it.’’
And even greater to perform at the level of a national
champion.
Quakers complete magical ride
Mar 20, 2004