USCAA Basketball National Championships: Day Three Recaps
#2 University of Cincinnati-Clermont 67 - #3 Albany College of Pharmacy 66
In tonight's first USCAA Women’s Division II semi-final contest of the night, second-seeded University of Cincinnati-Clermont defeated third-seeded and defending USCAA Women’s Division II National Champions, Albany College of Pharmacy, 67-66.
Down 13 points at halftime, the Panthers picked up the defensive pressure in the second half to force 12 Cougar turnovers to get back into the ballgame. The Panthers would tie the game on a Rochelle Whitton layup with 30 seconds left in regulation. Following a made free throw by freshmen guard, Kelsey Finn, the Panthers failed to connect on a Kelsey Johnson jump shot as time expired to the seal the victory for the Cougars.
Stacie Lee, USCAA 1st Team All-American, finished with a double-double before fouling out late in the contest with 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Cougars. USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, Tess Jenike, also chipped in 17 points.
USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, Taylor Sullivan, led the Panthers with a double-double posting 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers end their season with a record of 19-6.
The Cougars will face the winner of tonight's second Women’s Division II semi-final game between #1 Central Maine Community College and #4 Berkeley College of New York Saturday in the Main Arena at 4:00pm.
#4 Penn State Mont Alto 61 – #8 Penn State Beaver 85
#8 Penn State Beaver advances to the 2014 USCAA Men’s Division II National Basketball Championship after defeating #4 Penn State Mont Alto, 85-61.
Penn State Beaver used a 18-2 run to end the first half to go into halftime with a 10-point lead, 40-30. Penn State Mont Alto would come out in the second half and make a small run in the first five minutes of the second half to cut the Beaver lead to 5 points, however, turnovers proved too much for Mont Alto to overcome as they committed 27 of them throughout the game leading to 33 points for Beaver.
Senior guard and USCAA 1st Team All-American, Nick Miller, led the way for Beaver with 24 points including three straight 3-pointers late in the second half. USCAA 1st Team All-American, Rob Agurs, and USCAA 2nd Team All-American, Chris Weathers, also chipped in 20 and 17 points respectively.
Sophomore forward, Devonte Merritt, led the way for Mont Alto posting a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Penn State Mont Alto ends their season with a 22-5 record.
Penn State Beaver now moves onto face #6 Andrews University for the 2014 USCAA Men’s Division II National Championship Saturday in the Main Arena at 9:45pm.
#5 Penn State Beaver 69 - #8 Warren Wilson College 44
In the last game of the tournament from Maltho Gym, #5 Penn State Beaver defeated #8 Warren Wilson College, 69-44. Coming back from a night time heartbreaker that finished less than 15 hours before tip-off, the Lions made sure to put this game away when they had the chance. Penn State Beaver started the second half with an 18-4 run that stretched their lead to 49-30 and would effectively secure victory.
The Lions were paced by USCAA Honorable Mention All-American Cassandra Flowers, who followed up Thursday’s 20 point, 23 rebound performance with another dominating 15 point, 15 rebound effort. Morgan Kurtz added 10 points for Penn State Beaver. The Lions shined on the defensive end of the floor, limiting Warren Wilson to just 25% shooting on the game.
The Lady Fighting Owls received a strong performance from USCAA 1st Team All-American Dani Henderson, who tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds on the game. Lilvia Bradburry grabbed 16 rebounds and Jacina Hall chipped in 14 points.
Warren Wilson College finishes the season 16-11 after earning their first appearance in the USCAA Basketball Championships. Penn State Beaver concludes their season with a 15-12 record.
#2 Penn State York 54 - #6 Andrews University 74
Andrews University upsets #2 Penn State York to advance to the 2014 Men’s Division II National Basketball Championship, 74-54, for the third time in the last three years.
The Cardinals used smothering defense and controlled the boards to cruise over the PSUAC Champions in today’s semifinal action. Penn State York entered the matchup averaging 87.2 points per game, but Andrews was able to hold the Lions to a season low 54 points. The Cardinals' abilty to control the boards (40-24) allowed them to set the pace for the game and keep Penn State York from earning second chance opportunities.
USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, Matthew Little, helped lead the way for the Cardinals with 22 points on an efficient 10-15 shooting performance. Fellow USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, Junior Orelus, finished with 18 points. USCAA 1st Team All-American, Tyler Wooldridge, finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals and reaches the third championship game of his career.
Penn State York's Logan Steckel finished with 18 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds, hitting several three pointers down the stretch to try and will his team back into the game. The Lions end their season with a record of 23-3.
The Cardinals will move onto the USCAA 2014 Men’s Division II National Basketball Championship game to face either the #4 Penn State Mont Alto or #8 Penn State Beaver on Saturday at 9:45 PM in the Main Arena.
#2 Ave Maria University 62 - #3 Robert Morris University-Springfield 66
The #3 Robert Morrs University-Springfield Eagles defeated #2 Ave Maria University, 66-62, to join Concordia College-Alabama in Saturday’s 2014 Women’s Division I National Basketball Championship game.
In a game that included 12 ties and 14 lead changes, the Eagles were able to convert in late game situations to secure the victory. Meanwhile, the Gyrenes committed two costly mistakes in the last 15 seconds of play. Up by one, the Eagles were fouled shooting a 3-point shot and would hit two of three shots from the line. Following the free throws, the Gyrenes would bring the ball down to their end, but a Madison McDonald turnover with nine seconds remaining would effecively end their championship hopes.
USCAA 1st Team All-American Cassandra Baker led the Eagles with 20 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds, and had four straight points late that gave Robert Morris Springfield a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Junior forward Stephanie House pitched in with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the win.
Pacing the Gyrenes was USCAA 1st Team All-American, Annie Artise, who posted 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Ave Maria University ends their season with a record of 22-11.
#6 Penn State Fayette 77 - #7 University of Maine-Augusta 54
In Women’s Division II consolation action, host institution Penn State Fayette defeated #7 University of Maine-Augusta, 77-54. Led by USCAA 1st Team All-American Catlin Wontroba, the sixth-seeded Roaring Lions jumped out to a 40-14 lead in the first half and never let the Lady Moose back to within 15 the rest of the way.
Wontroba had 16 points and 8 assists for Penn State Fayette. USCAA 2nd Team All-American Jill Guthrie added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Courtney Haines chipped in 11 points and Shannon Flament had 10 to contribute in the winning effort. The Lady Moose were led by USCAA 1st Team All-American Arreonte Lee with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. Jamie Plummer added 19 and 10 rebounds. University of Maine-Augusta shot just 29% from the field and committed 22 turnovers as a team.
Penn State Fayette finishes their season with a 16-10 record. University of Maine-Augusta concludes their year at 15-13 after earning their first trip to the USCAA Basketball National Championships.
#1 Central Maine Community College 90 - #5 Warren Wilson College 85
In yet another thriller from Maltho Gym, #1 Central Maine Community College scored 53 points in the last 15 minutes of the second half to overcome a 20 point deficit and defeat the fifth-seeded Warren Wilson College Owls, 90-85.
The game was a tale of two half’s, with Warren Wilson shooting 60% in the first half and Central Maine responding by shooting 63% in the second. In the first the Owls shot 8-17 from deep, including 4-5 from Justin Gonyea who finished with 22 points to lead Warren Wilson in scoring. Central Maine’s Tim Flanagan buried six huge three pointers down the stretch, including the game-winner with 42 seconds left, to give the Mustang’s an improbable victory on the heels of their heartbreaking loss to Penn State Beaver on Thursday.
After his record setting 46 point performance against Beaver, Shaun Hill added 15 points for a Mustang’s 68.8% from three in the second half. USCAA 1st Team All-American Luis Medina dished out 12 assists and collected 9 rebounds. USCAA 2nd Team All-American Rashad Ali added 16 points and 9 rebounds for the Owls, who come up empty-handed in Uniontown just one year after winning the Men’s Division II National Championship.
Warren Wilson College finishes its season 16-13. The Yankee Conference Champion, Central Maine Community College finishes with a final record of 28-3.
#4 The Apprentice School 70 - #8 Concordia College -Alabama 75
In the semifinals of the Women’s Division I bracket, fourth-seeded The Apprentice School Lady Builders fell to eighth-seeded Concordia College Alabama Lady Hornets 70-75.
After back and forth action throughout the first half, the Lady Hornets would go into halftime with a 10-point lead over the Lady Builders, 37-27. The Apprentice School battled back tying the game at 63 midway through the second half. Concordia College Alabama was able to fight off the late game surge to advance to the National Championship.
The Lady Hornets had several notable performances in this tightly contested matchup. Two double-doubles were recorded including USCAA 1st Team All-American Tykeria Johnson (22 points, 10 rebounds) and 2nd Team All-American Lashay Lettingham (19 points, 10 rebounds). Sophomore guard Erica Ousley also added 19 points in the winning effort.
Leading the way for The Apprentice School was Honorable Mention All-American Kenya Wilkerson (17 points, 5 assists). Senior center Danita Whitaker tallied a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in just 17 mins of play.
For the second time in three years, Concordia College-Alabama will advance to the Women's Division I National Championship game where they will face the winner of #2 Ave Maria and #3 Robert Morris University Springfield. The Apprentice School ends its season with a record of 22-5.
#3 Central Penn College 72 - #7 Berkeley College-New Jersey 84
In the first Men’s Division II basketball consolation game on Friday, the Berkeley College-New Jersey Knights defeated the Central Penn College Knights, 84-72.
Despite 22 points from USCAA 1st Team All-American Devon Dorsey, the Knights shot just 35.7% from the field and struggled mightily from the three-point line (4-18, 22.2%). Meanwhile, Berkeley College-New Jersey’s defense gathered 20 steals and forced 27 Central Penn turnovers which would prove to be the difference in the game.
The Knights of Berkeley College-New Jersey were led by William Morton’s 18 point, 6 rebound performance. USCAA 2nd Team All-American Dukens Germain added 12 points and 9 rebounds to cap a strong tournament performance. Central Penn College finishes the season 18-10. Berkeley College-New Jersey goes 2-1 in the 2014 USCAA Men’s Division II tournament to conclude the year 17-10.