Feb 27, 2016
BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Down by five early in the 3rd quarter, top-seeded University of New England raced back with a 31-11 stretch on the way to a 56-41 win over second-seeded Western New England University in the 2016 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Women's Basketball Championship title match on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 27) at the Harold Alfond Forum.
The nationally-ranked Nor'easters (25-3) -- listed at No.16 (D3hoops.com) and No.14 (Coaches) in the latest Top 25 polls -- earn CCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, and will ride their school-record-tying 20-game win streak into the tournament for a fifth year in-a-row. The LIVE selection show to announce the field of 64that begins play on Friday (Mar. 4) at 16 sites around the country will air Monday (2:30 p.m.) on NCAA.com.
It is UNE's fourth consecutive league crown, and the program's sixth title since joining the conference in 1999 (2001, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016). The result closed the book on the Big Blue Class of 2016 (Sadie DiPierro, Meghan Gribbin,Lauren Hayden, Alanna Vose) at home against CCC opponents -- a flawless 48-0 record over the last four campaigns.
Vose (CCC 2nd Team) came up big in the second half, tallying 17 of her game-high 18 points (largely behind four treys) to go with five rebounds and three steals. Hayden (CCC 2nd Team) added 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Alicia Brown (CCC 1st Team), who sat the entire 2nd period with three fouls, had practically all of her eight points and nine boards following intermission. Gribbin (CCC 2nd Team) posted seven points and six assists.
For the Golden Bears (18-10), Dorothy O'Neill (CCC 2nd Team) recorded 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Chelsea Vujs (CCC Player of the Year) registered eight points, 11 rebounds, and three steals.
Vujs scored the initial basket of the 3rd to make Western New England's lead 25-20, but a quick five by Brown leveled things up, and the Nor'easters continued to push forward until the run reached 15-2 (35-27).
The margin was four (38-34) entering the 4th, and Vose drilled back-to-back three-pointers to pump the gap to 10. Vujs brought the spread back into single digits for a few moments, however it wasn't long before Hayden, Brown, and a triple from DiPierro set the cushion at 51-36 with 5:50 to go.
UNE shot 46 percent after halftime while holding the visitors to a 28 percent.
Early on in the contest, the Nor'easters turned around a 7-4 WNEU lead with nine unanswered points (13-7) -- a spurt started (jumper) and capped (three-pointer) by Gribbin. It was 15-13 in favor of the hosts after the 1st, as O'Neill notched her side's final six points in the stanza.
Big Blue had a 19-15 edge with 6:38 left before the half when UNE fell cold on the offensive end, making just 1-of-11 field goal attempts with six turnovers in the frame. O'Neill's 10 points in the opening 20 minutes led Western New England to a 23-20 advantage.
The Nor'easters have now taken the last 17 meetings against the Golden Bears, although the two regular-season matches in 2015-16 were decided by five and two.
Surrounded by the winningest class of players in UNE program history, head coach Anthony Ewing(CCC Coach of the Year) smiled with pride after his squad's strong finish. "It doesn't get old, it gets better. They get more and more difficult, and they get more and more rewarding as they go. You realize how hard it gets with the target on your back every game, and four in-a-row is foolishness. These kids deserve all the credit and it's been amazing."
The nationally-ranked Nor'easters (25-3) -- listed at No.16 (D3hoops.com) and No.14 (Coaches) in the latest Top 25 polls -- earn CCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, and will ride their school-record-tying 20-game win streak into the tournament for a fifth year in-a-row. The LIVE selection show to announce the field of 64that begins play on Friday (Mar. 4) at 16 sites around the country will air Monday (2:30 p.m.) on NCAA.com.
It is UNE's fourth consecutive league crown, and the program's sixth title since joining the conference in 1999 (2001, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016). The result closed the book on the Big Blue Class of 2016 (Sadie DiPierro, Meghan Gribbin,Lauren Hayden, Alanna Vose) at home against CCC opponents -- a flawless 48-0 record over the last four campaigns.
Vose (CCC 2nd Team) came up big in the second half, tallying 17 of her game-high 18 points (largely behind four treys) to go with five rebounds and three steals. Hayden (CCC 2nd Team) added 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Alicia Brown (CCC 1st Team), who sat the entire 2nd period with three fouls, had practically all of her eight points and nine boards following intermission. Gribbin (CCC 2nd Team) posted seven points and six assists.
For the Golden Bears (18-10), Dorothy O'Neill (CCC 2nd Team) recorded 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Chelsea Vujs (CCC Player of the Year) registered eight points, 11 rebounds, and three steals.
Vujs scored the initial basket of the 3rd to make Western New England's lead 25-20, but a quick five by Brown leveled things up, and the Nor'easters continued to push forward until the run reached 15-2 (35-27).
The margin was four (38-34) entering the 4th, and Vose drilled back-to-back three-pointers to pump the gap to 10. Vujs brought the spread back into single digits for a few moments, however it wasn't long before Hayden, Brown, and a triple from DiPierro set the cushion at 51-36 with 5:50 to go.
UNE shot 46 percent after halftime while holding the visitors to a 28 percent.
Early on in the contest, the Nor'easters turned around a 7-4 WNEU lead with nine unanswered points (13-7) -- a spurt started (jumper) and capped (three-pointer) by Gribbin. It was 15-13 in favor of the hosts after the 1st, as O'Neill notched her side's final six points in the stanza.
Big Blue had a 19-15 edge with 6:38 left before the half when UNE fell cold on the offensive end, making just 1-of-11 field goal attempts with six turnovers in the frame. O'Neill's 10 points in the opening 20 minutes led Western New England to a 23-20 advantage.
The Nor'easters have now taken the last 17 meetings against the Golden Bears, although the two regular-season matches in 2015-16 were decided by five and two.
Surrounded by the winningest class of players in UNE program history, head coach Anthony Ewing(CCC Coach of the Year) smiled with pride after his squad's strong finish. "It doesn't get old, it gets better. They get more and more difficult, and they get more and more rewarding as they go. You realize how hard it gets with the target on your back every game, and four in-a-row is foolishness. These kids deserve all the credit and it's been amazing."