| Amanda Brug and Wisconsin Lutheran found just enough offense to rise above Illinois Wesleyan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com |
Three nationally ranked teams from the Central Region fell in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament on Friday night, as Wisconsin Lutheran slogged past No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan, Oglethorpe ousted No. 23 Chicago and No. 10 Hope topped No. 21 Wheaton (Ill.)
- NCAA first round scoreboard: Men | Women
- More headlines: Men | Women
- Updated Tournament Bracket
- Game of the Night: Christopher Newport 82, Gettysburg 78
- 2019 Women's Tournament coverage
- Men's first round means big performances
Karlymarie Dyer hit a late three-pointer to give Oglethorpe the lead against Chicago and then she buried two free throws to seal the Stormy Petrels' 57-51 first round victory. Dyer's three off a Bailey Charles assist put the Stormy Petrels in front 52-51 with 1:40 to play. On the Chicago's next possession, the Maroons missed a three and had a tip-in attempt blocked by Oglethorpe's Savannah LeGate. The Maroons had another chance to the lead with 33 seconds left, but turned the ball over. Nikki Reed and Dyer made two free throws apiece to put the game out of reach and Bailey added one more to account for the final score.
LeGate, who was the National Rookie of the Year last season, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Oglethorpe. The Storm Petrels will face No. 18 Transylvania which defeated Piedmont 77-67. The Pioneers opened up a 44-26 halftime and rode Shelby Boyle's 22 points and 11 rebounds to victory.
Wisconsin Lutheran eliminated Illinois Wesleyan 48-40 in an ugly game that saw the teams combine for 50 turnovers and shoot 5-for-33 from three. Wisconsin Lutheran held the Titans to five points in the third period, but Illinois Wesleyan hung around because the Warriors only managed to score six themselves. In a game where no one scored much, Amanda Brug tallied 12 off Wisconsin Lutheran's bench.
Wisconsin Lutheran advances to face No. 2 St. Thomas after the Tommies dispatched Ripon 88-58.
In the lone Top 25 matchup of the night, No. 10 Hope silenced No. 21 Wheaton (Ill.) in the second half and pulled away 67-55. The Flying Dutch took 37-31 lead thanks to a 12-0 run keyed by back-to-back layups by Kenedy Schoonveld and Francesca Buchanan. The Thunder regrouped and pulled even at 39 on Hannah Frazier's three pointer, only to see the Flying Dutch answer with three straight layups. Hope put the game away with a 10-2 run midway through the fourth.
Buchanan posted 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Flying Dutch who get another Top 25 team in the second round. No. 11 Wartburg eased past Bethany Lutheran 91-63 in the second game of that regional.
The most dramatic finish of the night came in Central Pennsylvania where Baldwin Wallace buzzed back to beat Rochester Tech 73-71. Midway through the fourth period, the Tigers appeared in full control after a series of free throws put Rochester Tech ahead 67-54. Baldwin Wallace scored 15 of the next 19 points and pulled within two, 71-69, on Riley Schill's layup with 1:12 to play. The Tigers missed a layup, and Baldwin Wallace's Gabby Garrett was fouled with 29 seconds remaining and she tied the game with two free throws. After Rochester Tech turned the ball over, the Yellow Jackets called time out and then found freshman Lilly Edwards for the game-winning shot with one second remaining
Edwards finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for Baldwin Wallace. The Yellow Jackets play Messiah as the Falcons took care of Hilbert, 71-60.
No. 5 Trine may not have been looking ahead to a potential showdown with No. 1 Thomas More, but the Thunder got all they can handle before fending off Emory, 57-54. Trine fell behind 17-8 at the end of one period before slowing working their way into the lead. Emory had two looks at potential game-tying threes but missed on both. Brandi Dawson led Trine with 22 points and the Thunder will indeed play top-ranked Thomas More tomorrow. Ashley Oldshue posted 24 points and 12 rebounds in her final game at Emory.
Syndey Kopp hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and DePauw hit a program-high 13 overall, and the Tigers routed Loras, 78-54. Kopp finished with 29 points on eight 3-pointers and a free throw. DePauw advanced to play UW-Oshkosh because the Titans stifled Pomona-Pitzer, 72-46.
No. 22 Washington U. jumped out to a 20-9 lead on UW-Whitewater after one period and never looked back en route to a 72-56 win over the Warhawks. Madeline Homoly filled the stat sheet with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks for Washington U. The Bears host No. 8 George Fox which routed Greenville 85-53.
All four NESCAC teams advanced through the first round with the three highly ranked teams winning easily. Middlebury held John Carroll to 5-for-30 shooting in the second half and battled past John Carroll 62-54. The Panthers advance to play No. 15 DeSales which grabbed 21 steals and sprinted past Shenandoah, 77-49.
Both GNAC teams also advanced when Emmanuel and No. 14 St. Joseph's (Maine) won their first round games in Upstate New York. Emmanuel scoring dynamo Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda rolled up 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Saints' 69-65 win over Hartwick. St. Joseph's put last Saturday's loss to Emmanuel behind them with a 69-61 win over MIT at Ithaca's regional.
Lauren Desrats scored 19 points while Annie Keenan and Kayla Cleare each had double-doubles for Mount St. Mary and the Knights knocked off Westfield State, 85-80. The Owls, which run The System offense that stresses short possessions and frequent 3-pointers, shot 18-for-61 from behind the arc. Mount St. Mary will face Christopher Newport which defeated Gettysburg 82-78 in our Game of the Night.