In a season loaded with first's for the Denison women's basketball team, the road to which they have achieved their milestones has been strangely similar. They have done it with depth and by playing team basketball. They have done it with strong leadership from seniors Shaina Kaiser (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) and Haley Dahlgard (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate). They have done it by playing their best basketball in the second half.
The Denison Big Red capped off the North Coast Athletic Conference's first 28-0 season by defeating Allegheny College, 72-54 on Saturday night in the championship of the 2011 NCAC Tournament. This is the seventh NCAC tournament crown for the Big Red, and the program's sixth out of the last seven seasons. While the DU faithful may have become accustomed to seeing head coach Sara Lee and her squad giving nets around the conference the barber shop treatment, there is something extra-special about an undefeated season.
Now, with the conference tournament behind them, the Big Red will look forward to another NCAA Division III Tournament berth. Denison has won in the tournament before, but in six attempts DU has failed to advance beyond the second round. Denison will learn their tournament fate on Monday (Feb. 28) when the NCAA announces their tournament draw on www.ncaasports.com at 3 p.m.
The road to the 2011 NCAC Tournament crown was anything but smooth as the Gators gave Denison all they could handle for 30 minutes. In the first half both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm but a big reason behind the cold shooting was the hustle displayed by both squads on the defensive end. DU slugged their way to a 24-21 halftime lead behind seven points from Kaiser and some big energy minutes from Jane Windler (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) that resulted in five rebounds, two points and two steals in just five minutes of action in the opening stanza.
Allegheny connected on 31 percent of their shots but got eight points off the bench from Ann Ryan and seven first half rebounds by Daryl Ford.
In the second half, just as they did against The College of Wooster in the tournament quarterfinals, the Big Red set the tone early and they did it from long range. After going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, Kaiser and Dahlgard connected on back-to-back trey's giving DU their largest lead of the night at 33-23 with 17 minutes to play.
Over the next six minutes the Big Red would really heat up and another Dahlgard triple off a pass from Nicole Coggins (Mesa, Ariz./Corona Del Sol) gave DU a 19-point cushion with 11 minutes remaining. Down the stretch the two squads seemed to trade baskets, and thanks to some strong rebounding by Kaiser, Serafina Nuzzo (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) and Windler the Gators failed to mount a comeback attempt.
The Big Red were outstanding in the second half, shooting 60 percent from the field while outrebounding Allegheny 22-14 over the final 20 minutes. Kasier finished with 20 points and eight rebounds on her way to her second-straight NCAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Nuzzo and Dahlgard. Nuzzo flirted with a triple-double by scoring 9 points while snaring seven rebounds to go along with seven assists. Dahlgard added eight points while also hitting the two biggest shots of the game. Junior Christina Myers (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) tallied 10 points and three steals and was a big part of that early-second half run.
Hiding in the box score was the big night from Windler who only scored four points off three shot attempts but her nine rebounds, two steals and two assists in only 11 minutes made her invaluable.
Allegheny was led by Heidi Goeller's 23 points and nine assists. Ford posted 10 rebounds and Britni Mohney added five assists.
The No. 9 Big Red will play the waiting game for the NCAA selection committee to decide where Denison will play their opening round contest. The friendly confines of Livingston Gymnasium is a potential host site for the first and second rounds. In all six previous trips to the NCAA Tournament the Big Red have played on the road.