CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP - NOV. 28
UNC Wilmington 53, Fordham 48
Box Score
CANCUN - Sophomore Brittany Blackwell posted a game-high 18 points and added 11 rebounds to record her second double-double in as many contests and lead UNC Wilmington to a 53-48 victory over Fordham in the opening game of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic Friday at Kuchil Baxal Gymnasium.
The Seahawks remained undefeated on the season as they improved to 4-0 and advanced to the championship game, where they will face the winner of the second contest between Ohio and South Carolina Saturday at 6 p.m. CST. The Rams, meanwhile, dropped to 2-3 on the season and will square off against the loser of the second game in the consolation contest at 4 p.m. CST Saturday.
Blackwell, who posted the eighth double-double of her career, was joined in double figures by senior Sahsha Taylor, who chipped in 17 points on the strength of an 11-of-13 performance from the free-throw line, including a perfect 8-for-8 effort from the charity stripe in the second half. Junior Greta Luksyte added eight points and a game-best four steals while junior Candace Walker pitched in seven points and a season-high seven rebounds.
Sophomores Megan Mahoney and Tiffany Stokes tallied 10 points apiece to lead the Rams attack. Stokes and senior Annie Zopf pulled down five rebounds each to lead Fordham's effort on the glass. Sophomore Kristina Bell dished out a game-high seven assists.
Trailing 40-35 with 10:14 on the clock, a jumper by Blackwell sparked a 15-2 run for the Seahawks that lasted gave UNCW a 50-42 lead with 30 seconds left on the clock. Blackwell and Taylor keyed the game-changing run, scoring six points apiece while Walker pitched in three.
A three-pointer from Zopf end the UNCW run and pulled the Rams within five, 50-45, before a pair of free throws by sophomore Sheronda McLean pushed the Seahawks cushion to seven, 52-45.
Fordham made one last push, as a three by sophomore Kyara Weekes in the closing seconds trimmed the Rams deficit to four, 52-48. Mclean closed out the scoring with a free-throw with four seconds on the clock as Fordham was unable to get a shot off in its final possession.
UNCW opened the contest on a 12-4 run before five unanswered points by the Rams midway through the frame pulled Fordham within three, 12-9.
The two teams traded baskets through the rest of the opening session as the Seahawks took a 25-19 advantage into the locker room.
UNCW held the lead into the early part of the second half, when a 5-0 spurt by Fordham gave the Rams its first lead of the game, 33-31, with 14:52 left on the clock.
The Seahawks tied the games moments later on a jumper by Blackwell, but the Rams scored seven of the next nine points to take its biggest lead of the game, 40-35, and setting up UNCW's game-changing run.
#21/#19 Arizona State 80, Hofstra 54
Box Score
Freeport, Bahamas -- Jess Fuller continued her torrid shooting from the field over the last two games as she shot 6-7 from the field and led Hofstra with 12 points, but #21 (AP)/#19 (Coaches) Arizona State jumped out to a large halftime lead and withstood an early second half rally from the Pride to earn a 80-54 victory in action at the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas on Friday afternoon. Hofstra will now face Southern Illinois at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in the third place game at the Junkanoo Jam at St. Georges High School. Today's game marked Hofstra's first-ever outside the United States and came against Arizona State, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08.
Fuller is now 15-17 (88%) from the field in Hofstra's last two games as she shot 9-10 from the field in the Pride's win over Manhattan on Tuesday.
The loss drops Hofstra's record to 1-3 this season, with all three losses coming to teams that advanced to postseason play a year ago. Arizona State improves to 3-1 with the win and will face Florida in the championship game tomorrow. The Gators defeated the Salukis, 67-56, in today's first game.
Hofstra would go into the halftime break trailing the nationally-ranked Sun Devils, 43-17, as the Pride was done in by 22 first half turnovers in the contest. The Pride would tally its first-ever points outside of the United States when freshman forward Joelle Connelly hit the second of two free throw attempts to make the score 5-1 in favor of Arizona State just 1:41 into the game.
After a three-pointer from Dymond Simon of Arizona State with 17:30 to play in the first half put the Sun Devils ahead 8-1, Hofstra was forced to call its first timeout of the contest. With ASU leading 15-1, a baseline jumper from sophomore guard Aamira Terry at the 11:44 mark accounted for Hofstra's first made field goal of the game and a breakaway layup from junior guard Sam Brigham off an inbounds pass assist from sophomore guard Candice Bellocchio with 4:46 to play before intermission allowed the Pride to reach double figures at 32-11. Fuller would hit a jumper in the paint less than a minute later to close the deficit to 32-13, but the Sun Devils would score 11 of the final 15 points in the stanza to lead at half by 26.
Hofstra would come out of the halftime break with some much needed energy as they scored the first four points of the half and cut the deficit to 43-21 with 19:19 to play, forcing Arizona State to call a timeout.
Fuller would continue the run after the timeout as Hofstra forced the Sun Devils into a turnover and turned it into a layup for Fuller to close the gap to 43-23 with 18:33 remaining. A pair of free throws from Bellocchio after a fastbreak layup from senior guard Natty Fripp at the 16:48 mark would allow Hofstra to bring itself all the way back to 45-29 with 3:48 elapsed in the second half. It marked the closest the game had been since Arizona State led 22-7 with 9:23 left in the first half.
Despite the momentum of a 16-6 run to start the half, Hofstra couldn't continue it as Arizona State scored seven straight points after the Pride had gotten to within 49-33 to take away any hopes of a Hofstra comeback.
Bellocchio finished with 10 points, six assists and four steals for the Pride, which also got nine points apiece from senior guard Natty Fripp and Terry.
Boston College 71, James Madison 63
Box Score
CANCUN, Mexico, Nov. 28, 2008 -- Boston College outscored James Madison 15-6 down the stretch and took a 71-63 win over the Dukes in women's basketball at the Caribbean Challenge Friday afternoon at Moon Palace Resort.
BC upped its record to 5-1, while JMU's record now stands at 2-2.
Dukes' sophomore guard Dawn Evans led all players with 37 points, one below the school record she shares with Tamera Young ('08).
In a game that had nine lead changes in the second half, BC took the lead for good with 4:16 left. The Eagles outscored the Dukes 15-6 in the final minutes to secure the win.
BC junior guard Mickel Picco scored 13 of her team's final 17 points and hit six foul shots down the stretch. It was her three-pointer at 4:16 that put her team ahead to stay, giving the Eagles a 59-57 advantage.
Picco knocked down a 12-foot pull-up jumper in the lane at 2:42 to put BC up 61-57 after JMU had turned the ball over under pressure.
Evans hit a three-pointer at 2:13 that got the Dukes within one, 61-60. On BC's next possession, JMU redshirt senior forward Nina Uqdah blocked a shot, but the ball went out of bounds to the Eagles. BC's Stefanie Murphy scored on the ensuing in-bounds play for a 63-60 lead with 1:52 left.
JMU failed to score on its next possession, and then Uqdah was called for a foul as Picco drove to the basket. A technical foul on Uqdah was also assessed, and Picco converted four foul shots to put her team ahead 67-60 with 1:10 remaining.
Evans was fouled on a three-point attempt with 51.4 seconds to go but made only one of her three free throws. The Dukes were forced to foul, and BC knocked down four more free throws to seal the win. Picco made two foul shots and senior guard Brittanny Johnson also hit two.
Picco led her team with 22 points, while Murphy added 12 and 6-6 sophomore center Carolyn Swords scored 11 and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Evans was the only Duke in double figures. Uqdah was JMU's leading rebounder with 10 and also had game highs of three blocked shots and nine steals.
Minnesota 74, Drexel 50
Box Score
Boulder, Colo. ? Drexel played Minnesota (5-1) to a tight game through 20 minutes in the first half, but a 32-27 halftime lead by the Gophers quickly swelled in the second half as they went on to defeat the Dragons 74-50 in the opening game of the University of Colorado Coors Classic Tournament. Gabriela Marginean led Drexel with 15 points and nine rebounds and senior guard Andrea Peterson put in a season-high seven points, all in the first half. Drexel (2-3) shot season lows form the floor, beyond the arc and at the free-throw line as Minnesota rolled to its 5th straight victory.
Free throws kept Drexel in the game in the first half as the Dragons went for more than five minutes without a field goal midway through the period. But the Dragons knocked down 10-of-11 from the charity stripe and entered the locker room trailing by just five points 32-27 despite putting in just seven buckets from the floor. Andrea Peterson led the team in the first half with a season-high seven points. Peterson played solid defense against the Gophers’ leading scorer Emily Fox to hold her scoreless in the first period.
The Dragons’ defense did well to frustrate the towering forwards of Minnesota. Brooke Cornish had a block and forced Zoe Harper into two traveling violations while Tyler Hale, Nicole Hester and Jennifer Stjarnstrom combined to force the Gophers’ frontline into committing five of the team’s 11 first-half turnovers.
But the strengths that bolstered Drexel in the first half betrayed the Dragons in the second period as Minnesota pulled away with a 21-5 run early in the half. The Dragons went cold from the line, shooting just 3-for-11 from the stripe and 9-for-29 (31%) from the floor. The Gophers also doubled up the Dragons on the boards, 24-12, in the second half and 47-30 overall in the contest. After shooting just 32.1 percent in the first half, Minnesota found its mark in the second, making 13-of-23 shots from the floor for 56.5 percent. The Gophers also capitalized on 24 Drexel turnovers to score 22 points.
Playing in front of a crowd of supporters from who made the trek from Aurora, Colo., Kamile Nacickaite scored six points, pulled down five rebounds in her return to the state where she was a high school star at Regis Jesuit. One of Nacickaite’s high school opponents, Emily Fox who played at Highlands Ranch, put in 13 points, all in the second half. Ashley Ellis-Milan led Minnesota with 10 rebounds to go with 13 points. Speedy guard Kay Sylva led the Gophers in scoring with 17 points, including 7-for-8 shooting from the free-throw line.
Drexel returns to the Coors Events/Convocation Center tomorrow night to take on the loser of this evening’s game between the host Colorado Buffaloes and the UMass Minutewomen at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Dartmouth 59, Delaware 49
Box Score
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware led for the first 35 minutes of the game, but Dartmouth outscored the Blue Hens 15-4 the rest of the way and came out with a 59-49 non-league women's basketball win Friday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Koren Schram led Dartmouth (1-4) with 17 points as the Big Green, the defending Ivy League champion, won its first game of the season. Guard Betsy Williams added 13 points and Darcy Rose chipped in with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Delaware (2-3) managed just two field goals over the final six minutes of the game and suffered its third straight setback. Sophomore forward Ariene Jenkins led Delaware with a season-high 10 points and added six rebounds while Tesia Harris contributed nine points, Vanessa Kabongo added eight points and seven rebounds, and Corinthia Benison and Danielle Parker each chipped in with seven points apierce.
The game was nearly identical to the Blue Hens’ previous outing when Delaware led Quinnipiac 41-38 with 5:26 left to play but was outscored 12-0 the rest of the way in a 50-41 setback.
“We just don't know how to win yet," said Delaware head coach Tina Martin, who starts three sophomores. "We rushed shots and we panicked with the basketball when things broke down. We get rattled. We've got to be able to slam the door at the five minute mark, and we're not doing that. They're going to have to grow up. I'm hoping at some point the light bulb is going to come on."
The Blue Hens, making their first home appearance since a 62-48 win over Columbia Nov. 16, stormed out to a 13-point lead in the first 10 minutes of play, going up 25-12 following an 11-4 run that was highlighted by five straight points from Benison. But Dartmouth, which earlier this season took national Top 25 vote-getter Michigan State to overtime before falling 60-52, closed the half strong and cut the lead to 32-27 at the break as Williams connected on two three-pointers in the final 1:22.
Delaware remained in front for the first 15 minutes of the second half, going up by as much as seven points at 40-33 with 12:36 left on a layup by Eva Riddick. But the Big Green kept things close and followed with a 13-5 run to take its first lead of the game at 46-45 on two free throws by Meghan McFee with 4:51 remaining. Rose and Brittany Smith followed with field goals to push the lead to 50-45 before the Hens finally snapped a scoring drought of 4:14 on a layup by Jenkins with 2:27 left to narrow the deficit to 50-47.
Williams then converted a three-point play, Schram connected on her fourth three-pointer of the game, and Williams added two more free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
New Mexico 68, William & Mary 51
Box Score
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The William and Mary women's basketball team battled hard from tip to buzzer Friday night at New Mexico, ultimately falling 68-51 but giving the Lobos one of their sorest tests at home this season before the final horn sounded. With the loss, W&M falls to 3-2 on the season, while New Mexico improves to 5-1.
Three players reached double-digits in scoring for the Tribe, led by junior Tiffany Benson (Virginia Beach, Va.) who had 11 points to go along with three rebounds and two blocks. Classmate Lauren Aadland (Carlsbad, Calif.) had 10 points, seven of them in the second-half, and hit five of six free throws. Senior Dani Kell (Lutherville, Md.) also had 10 points and three steals.
The Tribe defense kept the Lobos on a tight lease in the first half, forcing bad shots and allowing the offense game to pull within one at 22-21 on a Kell three-pointer with just over five minutes to go before intermission. New Mexico was able to open a 34-21 lead at the half through several very-low percentage shots, frustrating otherwise text-book defensive efforts on the part of the Tribe over the last five minutes of the stanza.
W&M again came out of the locker room with a smothering defense and kept the pressure on New Mexico for the entire 20 minutes. Junior Kelly Heath (Suffield, Conn.) had a hot hand during a 9-3 Tribe run, scoring the final seven points in the streak on pull-up jumpers, drives to the basket, and an old-fashioned three point play at the 13:22 mark. Heath would finish with nine points and five rebounds, all but two rebounds coming in the second half. Aadland hit on all four of her attempts from the charity stripe in the half (5-6 for the game), including a pair to cut the lead to 12 at 61-49 with 4:39 remaining.
The Tribe plays again Saturday night in the consolation game of the Holiday Inn & Suites Express Midtown Thanksgiving Tournament, taking on Butler (1-3) at 5 p.m. local (7 p.m. Eastern). The Bulldogs lost 67-54 to Nebraska on Friday night.