| Kate Walker stepped up with
19 points as DePauw advanced to the NCAC tournament
final. d3photography.com file photo by Eric Kelley |
It took No. 1 DePauw a full half to adjust to not having leading scorer Alex Gasaway in the lineup, but once the Tigers did they put together one of the best halves of the season on the way to a 66-43 win over Wittenberg in the North Coast Athletic Conference semifinals.
- Friday's women's scores
- Saturday's women's schedule
- Friday's men's scores
- Saturday's men's schedule
- Cabrini, Ramapo clinch
DePauw, which improved to 27-0, won its 52nd consecutive regular season contest and will face Kenyon on Saturday night for the NCAC automatic bid. Gasaway, who averages 14.1 points per game, was hurt in practice on Thursday.
Illinois Wesleyan's title defense might well be over, as the Titans lost to Wheaton (Ill.) in the CCIW semifinals. IWU had moved into the regional rankings this week, leapfrogging the Thunder, but will likely be passed again and could be the fourth-best at-large candidate out of its region. IWU is 17-8 overall, 15-6 in-region.
The 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced Monday afternoon. Check D3hoops.com for more details later in the weekend.
Wheaton will play at Carthage for the CCIW's automatic bid on Saturday. Carthage survived against North Central, which turned its program from a 1-13 conference team to a conference tournament participant in one season by switching to the Grinnell system.
UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point advanced to the Sunday's WIAC tournament title game. The No. 20 Warhawks got 18 points and nine rebounds from Cortney Kumerow in beating UW-Superior 80-71, while the No. 21 Pointers won 59-50 at UW-Oshkosh behind 21 from Liz Althoff and 19 from Myranda Tyler.
No. 7 Thomas More returns to the PAC title game with 25 points from Allison Long and a 75-57 win against Waynesburg. The Saints will play for their seventh consecutive conference title, hosting Washington and Jefferson.
Natosha Gottlieb went off for 38 points on 14-for-23 shooting to lead Louisiana College to a 92-52 win against Mary Hardin-Baylor. Texas-Tyler provided the only quarterfinal upset of the ASC tournament, defeating Concordia (Texas). West Division top seed Howard Payne plays East No. 2 Texas-Dallas in the other semifinal on Saturday.
Spelman kept its basketball program alive for another day, defeating Pine Manor 92-74 in the Great South Athletic Conference tournament. Spelman's athletic department will be eliminated at the end of the academic year, and Spelman's next loss will be the last in program history. Andrea Kinzer scored 27 in 27 minutes off the bench for the Jaguars.