GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Allegheny College women's basketball team was able to hold off a strong second half surge by Ohio Wesleyan University in the semifinal game of the 2011 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament to earn their ninth appearance in the NCAC Championship game in program history with a 90-82 win.
After trailing by as much as 15 points in the second half, the Battling Bishops (15-12) were able to cut the Gators' (17-9) lead down to one possession on five separate occasions. The Gators used a strong first half of scoring in which they shot 53% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc to build a 14-point heading into the break. Sophomores Daryl Ford and Heidi Goeller, and rookie Saddie Gravatt led the way in the first half for the Gators with each notching double figures. Goeller was the top scorer with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. The sharpshooting Gravatt was on fire from downtown in the opening frame, connecting on three of her four attempts before ending the half with 11 points. Ford added 10 points.
The Gators' defense was on display in the first half, forcing 12 Bishops turnovers that led to 14 points on the other end of the court. Allegheny also controlled the paint with a 20-13 rebounding advantage and had a 20-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Coming into the second half, the Gators remained in the driver's seat holding a double-digit lead for the first eight and a half minutes. Trailing by 12 points at the 12:40 mark, the Bishops began their comeback run going on a 16-7 run over the next three minutes of game time to cut the Gator's lead to a single point, 65-64. After that, both teams would trade off missed shots and turnovers before Goeller's layup to extend the lead back to three, 67-64.
The final serious threat from the Bishops came on a made layup by Kandis Walker with 4:25 remaining in the game to cut the lead back to a single possession. This time around, the Gators did not waste any time adding distance between them and the Bishops as rookie standout guard Erica Restich canned a three-pointer on the wing on the Gator's next trip down the court. From that momentum bucket forward, the Gators regained control of the game extending their lead to as much as 11 with fewer than two minutes left in the game.
At game's end, four Gators finished with double figures. Ford posted her sixth double-double of the year as she netted a team-high 22 points and 10 boards. Restich, who has averaged 16.3 points per game over her last nine games, poured in 20 points, 16 coming in the second half. Goeller finished with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and Gravatt finished with 11 points.
The Gators now await the winner of the second semifinal game between the no. 1 seeded Denison University and the no. 4 seeded Kenyon College. Updated results from the second semifinal can be found at the NCAC's official website for the 2011 Women's Basketball Tournament.
Regardless of opponent, the Gators will begin their quest for the conference tournament championship on Saturday, February 26th at 7:00 p.m. The game can be followed live through live stats and live video/audio courtesy of the Denison University Sports Information staff.