Womhoops Guru

Mel Greenberg covered college and professional women’s basketball for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for 40 plus years. Greenberg pioneered national coverage of the game, including the original Top 25 women's college poll. His knowledge has earned him nicknames such as "The Guru" and "The Godfather," as well as induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Mike Siroky's SEC Report: Top Two Still Unbeaten

By Mike Siroky

The reason you play the runup to the brawl to win it all -- the Southeastern Conference regular season – is to get 10 wins.

The magic number is 20; no SEC women’s team with 20 wins has ever missed the NCAA draw and a legitimate legendary team like Tennessee can do it with 19.

Most mortal teams want the 20 wins.

The teams in the AP Top 20 know this.

Joining the two unbeatens left in the group are three more in the unranked scrum and five with one loss each.

***

No. 3 South Carolina

The Gamecocks, up one spot, are where they are likely to end up.

Coach Dawn Staley is unafraid, having beaten two legitimate Elite Eight teams already.

They started the ranking week by completing the last two of the trifecta in the Hall of Fame games at home.

Hampton fell, 92-38,  as the All-American forwards, Alaina Coates and A'ja Wilson combined for 48. Coates had 28 points and 16 rebounds for a fifth straight double/double streak started last season.

Wilson set a program record, 14-of-14 from the line. She had 20 points in 22 minutes; Coates got hers in 24.

The team won the backboards by 60-36 as 20 offensive boards became 23 second-chance points.

The defense hung two single-digit quarters on the Pirates; eight in the third and four in the fourth. Almost 11,800 paid to see it.

Staley, a Hall of Fame point guard, likes her current one, a transfer in Allisha Gray in the three-guard lineup.

“She’s always the one that falls under the radar. She's going to be probably our most consistent perimeter player as far as scoring the ball, rebounding the ball, getting out and defending,” Staley observes of the former UNC player.

“Sometimes when you have a personality like Allisha, people tend to forget about you. She’s somewhat of our silent assassin. She’s always going to give the same effort every time she steps onto the floor; she's very, very competitive.

“Some players in the whole fold of what we have, have to play that role because if everyone wants that spotlight then there is not enough room."

The next victim was St. Peters, 93-38.

 Five Gamecocks finished in double-figures, led by Coates (16 points in 19 minutes) and Wilson (14 in 21). Gray had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes.

The defense held the Peacocks to two single-digit quarters, nine in the second and four in the fourth on 27.8 from the field.

They drew 11,450.

Staley liked the experience of back-to-back-to-back games.

“It was a good learning experience, mentally and physically, for our players to get up to play three games in a row,” she said.

“I know it was lopsided, but we’re still working on us, so it gave us great opportunities to work on us. (We got) to work on starts of games, passing the ball a little bit more, and work on shots in the flow of our offense. That’s an area we need to get better in, and get better quickly.”

So here came No. 4 Louisville to  cap off the Hall of Fame thing in Springfield, Mass.

 When last noticed, the Cardinals were failing in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, at home.

It is quite likely Staley allowed her team to see her memorial in the Hall of Fame.

But the game was the thing and Louisville was ranked No. 4, already with five wins.
They went back home with an 83-59 loss.

Coates, Wilson and Gray each scored 17. Coates also had 14 rebounds as SC took a 15-rebound edge. Gray scored 15 after intermission. Wilson was 5-of-6 from the line.

The Gamecocks scored 18 off 17 Louisville turnovers and had 14 fast-break points. They also used a 23-5 run that covered the end of the half and the start of the third quarter to create separation.

“I think our players really enjoy when the competition is better and they came out and played.”

As for her two forwards, “That’s another year of playing together and knowing what the other is doing.

“We’re still trying to find out who we are.”

***

No. 7 Mississippi State

The Bulldogs are up three spots and a likely Top 10 consideration from here on out.

They celebrated the best ranking in program history with holiday beach time in Hawaii then swept into the Wahine Classic for three straight.

Oregon was the only other competitive team in the six pack of participants.

Vctoria Vivians had trouble finding her rhythm but was bailed out when  Teaira McCowan, the tallest State player at 6-7, brought eight first half points off the bench.

Vivians, as she always does, righted herself and finished with 17 and scooted past 1,200 career points.

Morgan William scored 14 and Chinwe Okorie 11.

“I knew this would be a knock-down drag-out,” said coach Vic Schaefer. “I was disappointed in some of our mental mistakes. Sometimes, we didn’t follow the scouting report and didn’t switch out.

“This game was not a letdown for us. You have to give credit to the opponents.

“We are now the hunted. We are learning about the role. In the third quarter, we took their best shot and responded. I am really proud of that.”

A downgrade in opponents, San Jose State, was next, with an 88-51 pasting on a 30-rebound advantage, forcing 23 turnovers.

For once, Vivians never found her stroke and finished with eight, including a 2-for-10 first half, the first time in a long time in single digits, averaging almost twice that. She was 3-of-14 from the field.
But all 13 Bulldogs played and all scored.

Freshman Iggy Allen, for instance, scored 14. McCowan had 16 rebounds.

“We finished the first half off well, said Schaefer of the 38-21 advantage.

“In the second half, backup point guard Jazzmun Holmes was awesome. She really came in and set the tone. I really liked my bench tonight. I thought we played really well. Our athleticism and quickness dominated the game defensively.”

Holmes had eight assists and two steals in 21 minutes.

 “We forced 24 turnovers,” Schaefer said. “That is who we are and that is what we do. We try to disrupt you.

“In the second half, we played a whole lot better. In the first half, they took our inside game away. In the second half, we really stepped up and everybody on the team contributed.”

So they finished with an aloha for the host team, and a gaudy 7-0 record.

It started with a 30-17 half. Okorie was 5-of-6 from the field and had a dozen. A single-digit defensive effort, eight allowed in the second quarter, set the momentum for a 66-41 no-doubt win.

She finished with a career-best 18 points, in 23 minutes, 8-of-10 from the field. Vivians scored 10 in 18 minutes. Every Bulldog got in and all but one scored. They threw in another single-digit defensive quarter, eight allowed in the fourth.

“We worked on the depth at this tournament,” Schaefer said. “Trying to build a team, build our depth and build some confidence for some kids.

“It was important how we played out here. It was a great event and great experience for our kids. It has been a great educational experience to see one of the most beautiful parts of the world.”

Vivians was tournament MVP and Okorie joined her on the all-tournament team.
“I was proud of how our first group started out defensively,” Schaefer said. “We had 11 first-half turnovers against the zone, but I am really proud of how we responded defensively. We got some easy baskets off the press. We bother a lot of people with our press and how we get it going in transition.”

“We prepared really hard for this event,” Okorie said. “Being in this championship is great. Winning this championship is great but we are not satisfied. We still have a lot of work to do. We need to continue to grow.”

***

No. 16 Florida.

The Gators were also up three spots but a suspect Top 20 on a wait-and-see watch until the real games start in conference.

Arkansas State is one of those conference champions that illustrate the difference between a Sun Belt and a down list SEC team.

Florida won, 71-60, scoring on the first possession and never trailing.

Sophomore Eleanna Christinaki scored 23 (her third straight outing of more than 20) and led four Gators in double figures. No sophomore slump apparent.

They closed the game on a 17-9 run.

Coach Amanda Butler said, “In key moments we made plays. It wasn't one of our better performances, but Arkansas State is a team that hadn't lost on their home court in 25 games.

The best thing is we learned more things about ourselves and we made plays when we had to.

 “I thought Dyandria Anderson was a highlight with nine assists. She kept her composure, played 36 tough minutes and getting eight rebounds. I think that's just a stellar performance all the way around for her.

“Overall, we have to do better. We did not come out with the defensive intensity that we need to. We didn't defend the 3.”

So the road trip continued north, the holiday in Chicago and the game at Northwestern.

 Blammo, a 73-68 loss to a Big Ten also-ran.

Only 857 showed up to witness the execution.

The Gators allowed Nia Coffey to hit 10-of-18 from the floor among her 26 points, with 14 rebounds.

Gator senior Ronni Williams tried to rally her team with 19 and Christinaki scored 15.

But 4-of-22 from the field in a fourth quarter seldom leads to anything good.
The home team won the quarter, 17-8, Florida’s first single-digit quarter of the season.

“We got ourselves in foul trouble and that was really tough to overcome,” Butler said. “Haley (Lorenzen) was playing a really good game – 6-of-9 from the floor is great, but only having her on the floor for 22 minutes I think hurt us. We weren’t very productive.

“We got a ton of offensive rebounds but we weren’t very productive with them.

“Defensively, I thought we could have done a much better job.

“We know what our challenges are on the road and we’ve got to do a good job of managing the team’s off days and making sure that we’re resting but still finding ways to improve. That’s what we probably need a little of right now – recovery and get ready to battle again.”

***

No. 17 Tennessee.

Based on last season, they were gifted with a top 20 spot to start the season and continued with a replay of that hot mess by losing to non-essential Penn State, dropping four spots in the poll.

Then they strangely took a week off instead of playing a competitive team -- they will interrupt their conference season for an inconsequential game against Notre Dame – but that is part of some master plan no one else understands.
So here came Virginia Tech and the result of a week to get ready was another skanky road loss, 67-63.

Tennessee may already be done with the Top 20 for the season. Yikes. They lead the league in losses.

The Tech game is one of those where the winners will brag about finally beating a Lady Vol team.

That brag is still active, if fading quickly.

For instance, Tech also won last season but then failed to finish in the top 64 while UT went to a fourth Elite 8.

UT lost this one in a 27-13 third quarter. They had closed halftime on a 19-7 run.

They botched their last possession when the difference was but a basket.

Overall, there were four in double figures, two double/doubles, a win in rebounds by 23. And yet, back-to-back losses.

The only glaring negative were the 10 turnovers by Diamond DeShields, yet she was one rebound short of a double/double.

“It’s quite embarrassing,” said DeShields. “I am just out there over-thinking. I am still in shock about it.”

Steady center Mercedes Russell also said it was on UT that they did not make Tech work for their shots.

Coach Holly Warlick said UT did not make the game plan work. They got the ball inside, “But then you gotta finish and we missed a ton of layups.

“You turn the ball over 21 times and they get 21 points off turnovers; that’s 21 times we denied ourselves the opportunity. I mean if you throw the basketball off it may go in.”

The Lady Vols have three games against Top 15 teams left before conference play begins.

***

No. 20 Kentucky.

The Kats Kollege of Koaches (two former head coaches joining a beleaguered staff) has fooled no one so far.

They dropped five spots after a loss at Colorado, then returned home for holiday cupcakes.

First up was Morehead State, a school about an hour away from Lexington but miles away in level of competition.

UK reversed the score on them, 74-47.

They scored the first 11 points of the game and the end was already obvious.

Sophomore guard Taylor Murray matched her career high of 14 points in the first half alone.

The statement came in the second quarter in which UK allowed only one basket. The 13-2 run made the 4,706 in attendance happy.

Senior guard Makayla Epps had 18 points to lead all scorers.

“What I loved about Taylor tonight, more than her offense, was her defense,” said coach Matthew Mitchell. “We’ve been really talking to her and really encouraging her to try to get her going defensively.

“We need her to be a leader for us and a star on defense, and that is what I’m most proud of her for tonight.

“I thought she really tried. She wasn’t looking for comfort tonight. It is on her now and it’s a new role for her and I’m really pleased with her development.”

Next up, Samford and a similar result, 80-57, with four starters in double figures, Epps leading with 20.
It was 41-17 at the break, after a single-digit defensive effort, five in the second quarter. They drew 4,569.

“Mainly we need to focus on finishing,” Epps said.

“Say, for example, halftime the score was 41-17, we will sometimes put the car in cruise and give them a little hope for coming back and that is something we can’t do.

“We have to top teams off, period. If we beat people by 70, then I guess they’ll put us in the news for beating people by 70. Nobody ever said there was anything wrong with that.

“Like coach said, it’s all about intensity. We have to want to get stops in order to get easy transition buckets. I feel like the energy and communication dropped with us being up by so much.

“It also gets a little confusing when we aren’t communicating and Coach has us running different defenses from zone to man.

“We just need to focus in and find the balance on what defense is working well for us at what time.

 “In all honesty, this is probably the most cordial, loving and caring team that I’ve been on since I’ve been here.

“There’s no egos, teammate issues, outside scuffling it’s all one love. We’re all on the same team and have the same mission. I told the team after the game that it’s really crazy we genuinely like each other and have a hard time communicating on the court.

“It blows my mind. We’d probably rather be in the group chat texting or something.

“It’s really the little things. We have a lot of people who have never been in this predicament, playing for a big D-I school against some of the best teams in the country.

“It’s just something different. Now it’s about pushing into December and progressing. Definitely no complainers.”

UK next plays two higher-ranked teams, Oklahoma at home and then at Louisville. The Kats have won 61 straight regular season non-conference home games. The only loss in six games this season was the one road game.

South Carolina Has The No. 1 Look in Hoop Hall Challenge

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – In an annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge foursome header decorated with four coaches with deep Philadelphia ties, the youngest one of the bunch got to make a national statement at the event at the MassMutual Center that ran from mid-morning Sunday until darkness descended on this region here in New England.

Third-ranked South Carolina, coached by Philly roundball legend Dawn Staley, ran roughshod over No. 5 Louisville after a competitive first quarter to gain a non conference 83-59 triumph.

Afterwards media here, those watching from afar via ESPN2, and other observers said despite Notre Dame’s No. 1 ranking and No. 2 Connecticut’s recent upset of then-No. 2 Baylor, the team on the floor right now that is looking like the best bet to leave Dallas on April 2 with the NCAA trophy is Staley’s unbeaten Gamecocks (4-0), who also own an impressive win over then-No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus.

    “As you can see we’re pretty balanced,” Staley said of a roster offering several all-American candidates and at least one player of the year contender in 6-foot-5 junior A’ja Wilson. “Our post players are used to playing with each other. They can put the ball where it needs to be – high-low – or we can step it off the block. It’s another year they’re working together so they can understand each other’s sweet spots on the floor.”

Game-high scoring honors with 17 points each  were shared by three Gamecocks stars – Wilson, Allisha Gray, a transfer from North Carolina; and Alaina Coates, who also grabbed 14 rebounds.

Mariya Moore also picked up 17 points for Louisville (6-1), which dropped its first game in seven outings.

Double-digits on the South Carolina side were also collected by Kaela Davis, a transfer from Georgia, who scored 13 points, and freshman Mikiah Herbert Harriman, who picked up 11 off the bench.

Asia Durr, one of Louisville’s prized talents, got most of her 13 points early as the Cardinals edged the Gamecocks 20-18 after a quarter. But Staley’s group closed the door with adjustments after that and dominated the second period 19-9, the third 27-15, and also outscored the opposition 19-15 in the fourth.

Briahanna Jackson also scored in double figures for Louisville with 10 off the bench.

Cardinal coach Jeff Walz didn’t think the Gamecocks were that many points better but conceded “they’re a very, very, good basketball team.” What worked in the first quarter from his view is “we did a very good job following the scoring report.”

The other three games were mostly competitive all the way, though none went well by the finish for the Philly coaching contingent.

Saint Peter’s (0-5), coached by former Rutgers and West Catholic star Pat Coyle, fell in overtime to Bowling Green, 73-68, in the first game of the day that was played before the South Carolina game.

Carly Santoro scored 28 points for Bowling Green (2-4) and grabbed 12 rebounds while Savanna Bethea scored 26 points for Saint Peter’s (0-5).

Then Lafayette, coached by Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz, the former Immaculata star who had previous coaching stops at Saint Joseph’s, Rutgers and Illinois before a somewhat brief retirement, fell in the final minute to Hampton, 58-55, and the last game wrapped up with Chattanooga, coached by Elkins Park native Jim Foster, another Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, fading in the last quarter, to drop a 49-39 outcome to Maine.

Malia Tate-Defreitas scored 22 for Hampton (3-4) while Maia Hood had 12 points and Olivia Gumbs had a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Lafayette (1-6), which has been winless since an opening night triumph at La Salle.

Sigi Koizar had 13 points, Laia Sole scored 12, and Bianca Milan had 10 points for Maine (3-4) while Tennessee-Chattanooga (3-5) got 11 points from Lakelyn Bouldin and 10 points and 16 rebounds from Jasmine Joyner.

Mixed Weekend for the Locals

Elation and disappointment were the emotions of the weekend on Saturday and Sunday as far the PhilahoopsW group was concerned.

On the up side, Temple rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Quinnipiac, La Salle stayed positive with a sweep in North Carolina for what is now a three-game win streak after the Explorers dropped their first three  games, Rutgers edged Bryant for the Scarlet Knights’ first win following a record season-opening five-game losing streak, Princeton bombed the baskets with a school-record 14 3-pointers to help win at UMBC, and Saint Joseph’s rallied to beat host New Mexico Saturday and come out of its visit with a split.

On the down side, Drexel, which had pulled a stunning upset of then-No. 11 Syracuse last Monday at home, lost at Patriot League favorite Bucknell Sunday and the Bisons also own a win over Saint Joseph’s. Delaware came home from the West Coast empty-handy losing a tough one to Detroit after losing to No. 24 Michigan Stste Friday. Lehigh got swept in its two games of pre-determined opponents while Rider dropped two in Florida after opening with a three-game win streak.

Lets move in for the close-up.
Temple’s Alliya Butts continued to live up to her unanimous pick on the preseason all-American Athletic Conference team Sunday by nailing a triple with 40 seconds left in regulation to send the Owls on to a narrow 71-68 triumph that completed two comebacks

One was getting back on the winning side after losing at Florida last weekend. The other was overcoming Quinnipiac and a fourth-quarter seven-point deficit to move to 3-1 on the season while the Bobcats, one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s heavyweights, suffered their first loss in five games.

Butts had 24 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed three steals while Feyonda Fitzgerald  sealed the win and finished with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds. Tanaya Atkinson had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Khadijah Berger had six points and a career-high eight rebounds.

Temple next heads to Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., on Thursday night.

  ***

La Salle (3-3) continued to shake off the doldrums of a three-game losing streak by sweeping Miami of Ohio on Saturday and UNC Wilmington on Sunday in the UNC Wilmington tournament, whose teams were predetermined in each round.

On Sunday, against host UNCW (2-2), the Explorers got 22 points from Amy Griffin, who led the Atlantic 10 in scoring last season, while Michaya Owens scored 13 and Jasmine Alston scored 10 points.

Earlier on Saturday, coming off a win over American the previous weekend at home in Tom Gola Arena, the Explorers topped Miami of Ohio 79-70 as Alston had a triple double with 15 points, 18 rebounds, and 12 assists while Griffin scored 23 and Adreana Miller scored 16  against the Mid-American Conference reps who fell to 2-3.

Next up La Salle goes to Villanova Wednesday to try to get even in the Big Five at 1-1 while the Wildcats have yet to play in the round-robin this season.

  ***

Rutgers, which had lost five straight including a shellacking by Princeton on the road last Friday, finally made it to the victory column Sunday, beating Bryant 50-42 at home in the Rutgers Athletic Center as Kandiss Barber had a career-high 14 points in the non conference matchup.

She also dished seven assists.

Desiree Keeling had eight points and nine rebounds in a near double double perfromance against Bryant (3-2). Aliiyah Jeune, whose steal enabled Shrita Parker to score a trey and turn the tide, had 11 points.

Next up Thursday is a visit from Duke as part of the ACC/Big 10 challenge and at halftime, all-time Scarlet Knights great Cappie Pondexter will have her number retired.

***

Princeton, which stopped a four-game opening losing streak on Friday with the rout of Rutgers, stayed on the winning side Sunday on the road using a school record 14 three-pointers to beat UMBC  69-58 and outscoring the home team 19-4 in the fourth quarter.

Kenya Holland had a career-high 19 points for the Tigers (2-4), who shot a program record 37 attempted treys against UMBC (2-3). Taylor Brown had 13 points in 15 minutes. Freshman Bella Alarie had 10 points, two blocked shots and two assists.

Next up is a visit 6 p.m. Wednesday from Seton Hall in the second part of the tri-game state competition among the Tigers, Rutgers and Seton Hall.

***

Poised to start getting votes in the weekly polls after upsetting then-No. 11 Syracuse a week ago, Drexel got taken down at Patriot League favorite Bucknell 78-66 in Lewisburg, Pa.

Though the Dragons (3-2) shook off a double-digit deficit, foul trouble and a weak defense down the stretch proved costly.

After riding the bench most of the first half with two personal fouls, Sarah Curran scored 17 of her 19 points the rest of the way. Meghan Creighton, also in foul trouble, scored 10.

Claire DeBoer scored 22 for Bucknell (4-2).

Drexel next heads to Cornell Saturday afternoon.

***

Meanwhile, after roaring to a 3-0 start for the first time in 38 years, Rider was stopped twice in Florida on the weekend, the second by Saint Bonaventure 60-47 at Central Florida’s tournament.

The Bonnies (3-3) got 19 points from Mariah Ruff while Rider’s Julia Duggan had a team high 18 points but the Broncs shot just 25.8 penetrate from the floor.

On Saturday Rider fell to the host UCF 49-30.

***

Lehigh fell twice in its own tournament, losing Sunday to Monmouth 73-62 after falling to Norfolk State 81-57 on Saturday.

On Sunday the Mountain Hawks (4-3) got a game-high 21 points from Quinci Martin against Monmouth (2-3). On Saturday Martin led Lehigh with 13 points.

The Blackhawks will stay home in Stabler Arena to host NJIT on Wednesday.



On Saturday, Saint Joseph’s came up with a split in the New Mexico tournament in Albuquerque beating the host Lobos 79-67.

Chelsea Woods, who lit up the Philly summer women’s league, had a career-high 24 points for Saint Joseph’s (2-4). She also had 10 rebounds in the game in which the Hawks rallied from a 17-point deficit to New Mexico (2-3).

A 16-4 run at the start of the third quarter was the ticket.

Additionally, for the visitors, Sarah Veilleux had a career high 17 points, while Adaisha Franklyn scored 15 points, and Alyssa Monaghan and Amanda Fioravanti each scored 10 points.

Next up is another Big Five game for the Hawks Saturday when Villanova visits.
Finally, for the locals, Delaware dropped a tough 66-64 non conference game to Detroit,  After trailing the Titans by 26 in Cal-State Northridge’s tournament. The Blue Hens had started 4-0 before heading to the West Coast.


Haleigh Ristovski had 20 points for Detroit while Sade Chatman scored 13 for Delaware and Erika Brown and Nicole Enabosi each scored 11 points for the Blue Hens.

Nationally Noted

After being taken down a week ago by unranked Penn State, another upstart got Tennessee with Virginia Tech and new coach Kenny Brooks getting a 67-63 victory to stay unbeaten at 6-0. The Lady Vols fell to 3-2.

No. 18  DePaul smashed Syracuse 108-84. In a game with two Top 10 teams, No. 4 Baylor topped No. 8 Ohio State 85-68.














Friday, November 25, 2016

Princeton Routs Rutgers For First Triumph While Knights Still Winless

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

(The Penn State game is under this one and  updates now exist on the results for Villanova,Saint Joseph's and Delaware from their respect night games.)

PRINCETON, N.J. – Princeton gave out some 700 or so souvenir scarves Friday afternoon inside the doors of Jadwin Gym before the Tigers women’s basketball squad resorted to other ways to smother Rutgers’ offense in a lop-sided 64-34 nonconference victory whose magnitude was totally unexpected.

But stunning news out of these parts has become commonplace considering who the state’s chief executive who resides in a mansion a few blocks from here endorsed for president after his own failed bid to lead the Republican ticket.

Princeton (1-4) broke into the winner’s column for the first time this season after narrowly missing the achievement in  its two previous games so the 0-4 start will end up on the back end of the 10th-year of the Courtney Banghart era tying her worst start when she took over the Tigers.

“That was the motivation for sure, because we know we should have had those games,” said Tia Weledji of her team’s performance.

However, it is not the worst overall start in program history, but the 0-5 season start that Rutgers is now saddled with is both the worst in the 22 years Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer has been aboard and the worst in Scarlet Knights women’s basketball history.

Those are extended marks because at 0-4 prior to game time and 0-3 before that the same situation held.

Rutgers still has a dominating 16-5 record in the series between the two school.

Both squads have had success in recent seasons – the Tigers became the first Ivy school to go unbeaten through the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2015 and last March became the first of the Ancient Eight to earn an at-large bid.

Rutgers won the WNIT in 2014 and had been a regular at the NCAA tournament most of Stringer’s time at the helm of the program.

“I’m upset,” Stringer said afterwards, bemoaning the lack of fighters on a roster that contains six transfers and referring to a previous comment in which she said a winless record was possible.

The crowd included Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame former Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who was home for the holidays having grown up in Mercer County.

In the dubious spirit of Black Friday, Rutgers gave out 20 turnovers to just 10 for Princeton and the Scarlet Knights shot a dismal 20.4 percent and were out-rebounded 46-39.

The combo of a retooled roster in the wake of four key graduations and a challenging schedule at the outset made Princeton’s start to its schedule not totally surprising.

And Banghart, who is taking a building blocks approach with an eye on the Ivy race in February and March, was pleased when the affair was over at the progress her squad has made since an opening night stunning loss here to nearby Rider two weeks ago.

That setback has since been tempered by the Broncs’ 3-0 start heading to the weekend for the first time in 38 years.

“This team has gotten better, better, better and better every single game,” Banghart said. “It wasn’t like bad, then good, then bad again. It’s just a matter of time before we can put it all together. We’re not there yet but we’re much better than we have been.”

Weledji, a 5-foot-10 junior guard from Kansas, who now moves toward the head of the classes, had 12 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field for the Tigers.

Bella Alarie, a 6-4 freshman guard/forward from Bethesda, Md., who is showing early promises of one day being mentioned alongside the names of other Tigers greats, had 14 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 three-pointers.

No one on Rutgers, which completed a four-game road trip mostly in the South, scored in double figures. Desiree Keeling, a 6-2 sophomore center-forward; and Khadaizha Sanders, a 5-7 sophomore guard, each scored seven points.

If you’re a Rutgers fan wanting to wax nostalgic for the days of Scarlet Knights great scorers, head to the RAC on Thursday when Cappie Pondexter, an all-time WNBA and International star following her 2006 graduation, will have her number retired.

Considering the scoring woes and the opponent that night being Duke, though unranked and not necessarily your grandmother’s Blue Devils unit, at least you’ll get the good through the presentation along with the potential nightmare on the court.

Actually, Rutgers comes right back at home Sunday hosting Bryant in a game in which the home team should be favored.

Princeton on Sunday travels to UMBC just outside Baltimore and returns here Wednesday night to host Seton Hall, which also plays Rutgers next month in the triad of competition the three New Jersey schools have set up recently.

Before that Princeton had its struggles getting Rutgers on the schedule.

“We’re on record that Rutgers should be on our schedule every year,” Banghart said. “Not that it means that much to our kids cause only one is on our roster from New Jersey, but it’s really good for the state because there are a lot of good basketball teams in our state.

“Just that fact that you (media members) are here. We have two teams that should be pretty good and play each other.

“Our schedule is pretty challenging. That’s why these kids are here. They want to play good teams.”

Penn State Felled by Georgetown

The Lady Lions’ promising four-game win streak was short circuited by Georgetown 68-54 Friday in the second and final day of the San Jan Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The event, originally set for Puerto Rico, was moved because of medical concerns over a virus in the tropics.

Penn State (4-2) had opened in Philadelphia with a loss at Drexel before launching its run, highlighted by a triumph over then No. 13 Tennessee at home in the Bryce Jordan Center.

In Friday’s game, the Hoyas (4-2) jumped to an 8-0 lead before Penn State pulled closer and the outcome was undetermined until Georgetown pulled away from a 47-47 tie that existed with 8 minutes, 22 seconds left in the game.

Penn State’s mediocre ball handling proved costly with Georgetown mining 28 points out of 18 Lady Lions miscues.

Peyton Whitted during the game became the 33rd Lay Lion to grab at least 500 rebounds.

Teniya Page for Penn State had a team high 16 points and four assists. Georgetown’s Dionna White had 21 points helped by four 3-pointers.

Dorothy Adomako added 15 points and Faith Woodard had 13 points and nine rebounds.

On Wednesday, PSU travels to Boston College as part of the Big 10/ACC challenge.

Saint Joseph’s, Villanova and Delaware Beaten

Tourney time wasn’t a good time either for the Hawks, Wildcats and Blue Hens Friday following Penn State’s loss to Georgetown in the San Juan Shootout.

In the same tourney, though not in the traditional format, as Penn State, Villanova was edged by VCU 68-66 to fall to 1-4 on the season.

Following nearly a two-minute scoring drought by both teams near the end of the game, the Wildcats pulled close at 64-63 with 51 seconds left in the game and then briefly stopped the Rams of the Atlantic 10 on the next possession before VCU came up with the offensive rebound.

Galaisha Goodhope made it a three-point lead connecting on two free throws following Villanova’s force to foul with 23 seconds left.

Alex Louin then made it a one-point game again with a shot and after the Wildcats committed another necessary foul, VCU’s Keira Robinson went 1-2 from the line to make it 67-65 with 15.2 seconds remaining in regulation.

On the next play, after Villanova missed a potential game-tying shot, Megan Quinn grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled, but she only went 1-2 from the line with 7.8 seconds left to make it 67-66 still in favor of the Rams (4-2).

Robinson was fouled again, went to the line, but only made 1-2 once more. The ‘Cats had no timeouts remaining and so Jannah Tucker went down the court and tossed a desperation three-pointer that failed to connect as time expired.

Quinn finished with a game-high 22 points, shooting 5-for-7 overall from the field, including 3-of-5 three pointers, and was also 5-for-7 from the line while also grabbing eight rebounds.

Adrianna Hahn, Louin and Tucker each scored nine points while Goodhope had 16 points.

Next up on Wednesday night Villanova makes its Big Five season debut hosting La Salle, which has a loss to Temple in City Series play.

Meanwhile Saint Joseph’s that broke out of a season-starting four-game losing streak, winning at Penn in Big Five competition Wednesday night, fell to BYU 71-56 in the opening round of the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament in Albuquerque in what was a game of massive runs.

The Cougars had the last word, using a 24-4 run across the two quarters of the second half.

Saint Joseph’s (1-4) had used its own offensive thrust in the third period erasing a 17-point deficit to take a 47-46 lead off a 24-6 run capped by Jaryn Garner with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.

But then the Cougars (2-2) fired back to leave the Hawks way behind in their rear view mirror.

Amanda Fioravanti had 14 points for the Hawks and also grabbed five rebounds, blocked two shots and had an assist and a steal.

Garner had a career high 11 points, a total matched by teammate Chelsea Woods. Kristine Nielsen had a team-high 15 points for BYU, which had four other players also score in double figures.

Saint Joseph’s on Saturday will play for third place against host New Mexico (2-2), which was ended in its game by Tulsa. (2-3) of the American Athletic Association 67-64.

Finally, Delaware suffered its first loss of the season in its fifth game, losing to No. 24 Michigan State 81-64 in the opening round of Cal State Northridge’s tourney.

The Blue Hens (4-1) will meet Detroit on Saturday night for third place after the Titans (2-3) fell to the host team (3-2) that at New Year’s will host Penn in a single game.

The Spartans of the Big Ten used a three-point shooting barrage from Tori Jankoska – she nailed eight of them to account for an alltime 32 points.

Erika Brown had a team-high 15 points for Delaware.

“While you never want to lose, this was a step forward for us tonight because these ladies played their butts off and really competed against a nationally ranked team,” said longtime coach Tina Martin.

“This was a very physical game and our kids did a good job of being relentless under the boards. I saw some real fight in our young ladies and if we can bring that same fight and go after people with no fear, we can do a lo of good things this season. We really need that toughness for the rest of the year.”

After Saturday night, Delaware returns home on Thursday to host Robert Morris and then host Georgetown Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.



 



 



It's "Red Friday" As 0-4 Rutgers Visits 0-4 Princeton

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PRINCETON, N.J. – It may be Black Friday in the merchandise world occurring right after Thanksgiving while the Dow Jones may be in the black at a historical level at the moment.

But here in Jadwin Gym this afternoon two of New Jersey’s historical finest women’s basketball programs will battle with each being operating in the red in unprecedented levels at the start of their respective seasons.

Rutgers arrives with a worst-ever 0-4 start in the entire history of the Scarlet Knights and the victors on the other side, while not cupcakes, are not necessarily the monsters of the nation Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer has scheduled before competing in the old Big East and now the Big Ten.

Princeton, meanwhile, is also 0-4, which matches the worst start in the 10-year era of mostly prominence in the Ivy League and nationally under Courtney Banghart. That launch occurred in her first season before going on to great things like an unbeaten regular season record two seasons ago and a first-ever for the Ivies at-large bid to the NCAA tourney last March.

The Tigers are young, having graduated four key players from the last of the Princeton ongoing rollover of heavyweights.  The result is they got shocked at the outset in their home opener by nearby Rider and then fell at a decent but retooling George Washington operation over the first weekend before suffering two tough losses at home in overtime to Dayton and then last Tuesday a narrow setback at the finish at Delaware.

While a loss Friday would mark the worst start in five games for Banghart, the Tigers would have to go on a more dubious run to near the all-time worst start in program history.

Princeton on Sunday will go to UMBC outside Baltimore.

Meanwhile, as has been the case several times ahead of opening day in recent season, Rutgers was hit with a major loss when the school announced All-Big Ten guard Tyler Scaife would not take the floor until 2016-17 following advice in the wake of a medical procedure performed in the offseason.

There is a slew of newcomers on the roster making chemistry a work in progress. Meanwhile Rutgers dropped the season opener to Chattanooga and then went on the road since, falling at Elon, predicted to finish second in the CAA; and then at Wake Forest and Virginia of the ACC.

Talent-wise, no knock on Princeton, but Rutgers would appear the favorite Friday and afterwards will be favored against visiting Bryant Sunday back in the RAC but then Duke visits next Thursday, Dec. 1, as part of the AVV/Big Ten Challenge.

The Blue Devils are out of the rankings for the first time in several decades but have to key players in Rebecca Greenwell and Lexi Brown, the talented backcourt transfer from Maryland.

It’s Duke’s first visit since the Blue Devils romped in the early part of the 2006-07 season, one of a slew of giants on the Rutgers nonconference slate. But eventually the Scarlet Knights got their act together and got revenge in March in the Sweet 16, beating overall No. 1 seed Blue Devils in Greensboro, N.C., when Lindsey Harding, set to become the top seed in the WNBA draft, missed two foul shots in the final 0.4 seconds.

Two days later Rutgers beat Arizona State to get to the Women’s Final Four where the Knights advanced to the title game before falling to Tennessee.

There is at least one highlight coming the night of the Duke game when Cappie Pondexter, who has gone on to international and WNBA star status, will have her number retired.

High Flying Rider

With the woes of Rutgers and Princeton occurring and Seton Hall no longer unbeaten the surprise in New Jersey is Rider, off to a 3-0 for the first time in 34 years since the early 1980s.

“We’ve had great chemistry, we’ve gotten off to strong starts in all our games, and with our newcomers combined with the vets, for the first time we have some depth,” said Lynn Milligan, in her tenth season at Rider.

The Broncs shocked Princeton in Jadwin Gym on opening night, only the second time they’ve won their, then came home to beat Lafayette before busting a previous 0-9 effort which went by the boards against visiting La Salle.

Next up are games Saturday against host Central Florida in Orlando followed by playing St. Bonaventure in the Sunshine State in the same arena on Sunday. Then it’s back home to meet Canisius next Friday.

Penn State Still Roaring While Villanova Continues to Struggle

Originally, set to play in Puerto Rico, the San Juan Shootout, which would have gotten under way Friday, began Thursday on Thanksgiving Day in Daytona Beach, Fla., the site moved because of medical concerns over virus conditions in the tropics.

Thus in two games played, Penn State came off its upset at home Sunday over then-No. 13 Tennessee to beat Georgia State, 69-42, a season-low on points allowed the opposition.

Villanova, however, after having lost a lead to fall to George Washington on Sunday at home, was upset by Troy, 93-85.

In the Penn State game, the Lady Lions (4-1) made It four straight after its opening road loss at Drexel as freshman Jaida Travascio-Green had a career-high 18 points, fueled by five 3-pointers.

Senior Peyton Whitted had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Panthers (3-3), who were outscored in the third quarter 18-0 during a stretch that allowed the Lady Lions to take total control.

Amari Carter had 10 points and Lindsey Spann scored 11.

Next up on Friday is a game against Georgetown at 11 a.m.

In the Villanova game, the Wildcats (1-3) had a lead erased at the outset of the second half by a 21-4 run from Troy (3-1).

Alex Louin had a game-high 23 points for Villanova while Adrianna Hahn had 14 points and hit four 3-pointers, freshman Kelly Jekot scored 12 and Jannah Tucker scored 10.

Troy got 21 points from Amanda Mendoza and 21 from Clarissa Banks.

Villanova finishes the two-day event Friday night playing VCU and then comes home to play its first Big Five game Wednesday, hosting La Salle.

Looking Ahead

Much of the locals are involved in holiday tournament play this weekend when Saint Joseph’s (1-3), off its narrow Big Five win over Penn Wednesday night  opens against BYU in New Mexico’s tournament Friday and then will meet either New Mexico or Tulsa Saturday.

Delaware (4-0) takes its unbeaten record and Tuesday win over Princeton against No. 24 Michigan State Friday night in Cal-State Northridge’s tourney and then will meet the hosts or Detroit Saturday.

La Salle (1-3), which finally got its first win Sunday beating American U., is in North Carolina  playing Miami of Ohio Saturday and then on Sunday meeting the host UNC Wilmington squad that Is part of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Drexel (3-1), which at the moment is the top women’s team in the city, travels to Patriot League favorite Bucknell Sunday, the Dragons’ first game after their stunning home upset of No. 11 Syracuse Monday night. They are then off until traveling to Cornell next Saturday.

Temple (2-1) also has a single game Sunday, trying to recover from last weekend’s loss at nationally ranked Florida by hosting Quinnipiac in McGonigle Hall. The Owls then travel to Harvard on Thursday.

Philly “Ancient” Women’s Coaches Reunite Sunday

They won’t meet each other but like fine wine four Philadelphia-bred coaches will line up in a quadrupleheader Sunday at the Massachusetts Mutual Center in Springfield, Mass., as part of the Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge.

The centerpiece is the 1 p.m. when No. 5 Louisville meets No. 4 South Carolina, coached by local playing legend Dawn Staley, who is quickly becoming a sideline legend also.

Lafayette at 3:30 p.m. will meet Hampton with the Leopards under the guidance of Theresa Grentz, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer who came out of retirement last season. Her squad beat La Salle in Philadelphia opening night but then lost at Rider and to two of the teams in this showcase last week in Louisville. Grentz, a star during the Immaculata glory days, has coached at Saint Joseph’, Rutgers and Illinois.

At 10:30 a.m. Saint Peter’s, coached by Pat Coyle, will meet Bowling Green. Coyle and her twin sister Mary starred at West Catholic and for Grentz at Rutgers. She has coached at Loyola of Maryland and for the WNBA New York Liberty besides serving as an assistant at several schools.

Finally at 6 p.m., Chattanooga, coached by Jim Foster, will meet Maine, a revived program under Rich Barron. Foster coached Saint Joseph’s, Vanderbilt and Ohio State into national rankings besides his current school, making him the only women’s coach to do so at four different institutions.

He was an assistant to Grentz on the 1992 Olympic squad and recommended Barron for Princeton, which he got revived prior to Banghart’s arrival after he took a job as an assistant to Kim Mulkey at Baylor.

On Tuesday, Chattanooga travels to Connecticut in Hartford. It was Foster, who hired UConn’s Geno Auriemma at Saint Joseph’s as an assistant, giving him his first women’s job before going on to Hall of Fame stature with his work at UConn.










Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Saint Joeseph's Edges Penn in Big Five Tilt For First Overall Win

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph’s veteran women’s basketball coach Cindy Griffin came out of the Hawks’ locker room in Penn’s Palestra Tuesday night, caught sight of athletic director Don DiJulia, broke into a smile and said with an accent of relief, “We needed that.”

Saint Joseph’s may now be 40-2 in the local series between the two schools that is part of the Philadelphia Big Five competition but this night at the outset was a rarity in which the Quakers with their inside tandem of Sydney Stipanovich and Michelle Nwokedi could be considered a slight favorite.

However, the Hawks rode the hot hand early of sophomore guard-forward Sarah Veilleux, an acclaimed high school star, took a nine-point lead with 5 minutes, 44-seconds left in the game and then had to withstand a stirring rally by the home team until senior Jaryn Garner choked it off with a pair of foul shots with 13 seconds for a 57-53 victory.

The result enabled the Hawks (1-3)  to avoid their first-ever 0-4 start with their initial victory of the 2016-17 season. They also evened their City Series mark at 1-1 to avoid an 0-2 start in the round robin for the first time since 2004-05.

For those neutral observers who just enjoy watching the locals battle each other or the fans and those directly involved with each of the five schools, the key in this season’s race now becomes Temple’s visit to Villanova on Dec. 10 since the host Wildcats on that date and the Owls at 2-0 with wins over the Hawks and La Salle are the only two teams with a chance to win outright with a sweep.

But Villanova, which  could get nicked beforehand in the Wildcats’ visit to Saint Joseph’s Dec. 3, managed sole possession of last year’s trophy at 3-1. They have yet to play a game in this year’s series while La Salle and Penn are 0-1 to go with Temple’s 2-0 and Saint Joseph’s 1-1.

Thus with Temple still to also play Penn in January, at the moment every one of the five can still hope for at least a piece of the pie.

So much for the Big Five implications of Tuesday’s result, let’s go to the general details.

The Hawks came into this one having been pounded at home  by Temple on opening night and then squandering a 15-point lead two days later also at home to lose to Patriot League favorite Bucknell 64-61.

Then it was off to Iona last Wednesday, when Saint Joseph’s, like Penn Tuesday night, had to surge from behind. In the Hawks’ situation, they trailed the Gaels by 21 at the outset of the fourth quarter and got to within one when they missed a potential tying foul shot in the closing seconds and fell 58-57.

“You know it was going to be a battle for 40 minutes, Penn never said die, I think our kids played with a lot of confidence today, we went through a stretch of not winning any games, we lost some tight ones, so it was a test for us knowing we can win a close game,” Griffin said in a rapid fire list of particulars.

She spoke of her team's success on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think we may have been small on some matchups but we were scrappy and I felt we fought, I felt that we took away passing angles as much as we could and I felt we did a great job. I felt we won every 50-50 ball.

“We shot the ball well, we moved the ball well, still room for improvement, but I was happy. I said to the kids, we have been in class for the last four days, meaning the gym. And now we have a chance to take the test. And tonight was the test. And we got an A and that was terrific.

“The last four days we showed a lot of character and we want to build from there.”

Not so terrific for the other team here Tuesday night was its continuing struggle that left it at 1-3 overall besides 0-1 in the round robin.

Following a competitive opening loss at Duke, Penn was shocked here a week ago by Binghamton before appearing to right the ship Friday night with a win at Rhode Island.

But the Quakers after staying even early began slipping behind to a 12-point deficit near the end of the half before hitting a spurt to get to within seven at 33-26 at the intermission.

Nwokedi struggled early before finishing with another double double at 11 points and 11 rebounds, though she shot 3-for-15. Stipanovich scored a game-high 16 points, while Anna Ross in the backcourt was 3-for-11 but reached double digits at 14 points.

The Hawks’ bench outscored the Quakers reserves 14-0.

“We’re just really struggling on the offensive end,” said Penn coach Mike McLaughlin, whose team has everyone back of significance from last season’s Ivy champions, a conquest in which the Quakers were an unanimous choice in the league preseason poll to repeat.

“I have to find a solution. We have to find a way to score the ball to win and right now we’re just not getting it done. I have to look at what we’re doing and how we’re doing it to make this team better.

“We fought to the end, which is a small prize for what they wanted. If you don’t score, you can’t win this game. We hustled to the end. We worked hard. Got it down to a possession. Executed well down the stretch but again we were chasing our tails because we played so poor on the offense but give Saint Joe’s credit, they defended us really smart but we had some opportunities we just have to capitalize on.”

Saint Joseph’s Veilleux one game after reaching a career high scoring 14 at Iona, topped that mark by one with 15 against Penn.

"My teammates got me the ball, it was just a great team effort, and we needed that win, everyone was there, people diving out of bounds for the ball,” she said. “We’re getting rebounds. My people were getting extra passes. It was just a great team win.”

Veilleux, a Gatorade Connecticut state player of the year, shot 5-for-10 from the field, including connecting on 3-of-5 three-point shots.

She knows a few things about winning, having grown up in Hebron, the same Tolland County locale that houses the powerful four-time defending national champion Connecticut program.

But she also has adjusted to learning the ways of the Big Five wars.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last two-and-a-half years. Coming from Connecticut, it’s not the same environment as it is here. But you learn very quickly. You learn that it’s scrappy and it’s competitive and it’s not always pretty, sometimes it’ pretty ugly out there.

“But you have to be scrappy. And we wanted it more. That’s how we won.”

Adashia Franklyn, the daughter of former Temple great Marilyn Stephens, had 11 points and joined Veilleux with seven rebounds each while Chelsea Woods scored 10 points.

The Hawks head to Albuquerque and host New Mexico’s tournament this weekend, playing BYU Friday night and then either New Mexico or Tulsa the next night.

Then they will be off until hosting the Villanova game.

Penn is off for a week schedule-wise, traveling to Lafayette next Wednesday and then to Wagner, Dec. 3, before returning home for another Big Five tilt, hosting La Salle on Dec. 7.

Princeton Falls at Delaware

These are the times that try past Ivy champions. Besides Penn’s struggles, Princeton has now matched the worst start in coach Courtney Banghart’s 10-year career at 0-4, a mark of dubious distinction which also came in the former Dartmouth star’s first season in 2007-08.

It’s the second straight where a potential victory existed following Saturday’s overtime loss in Jadwin Gym at home to Dayton on Saturday.

This time, the Tigers (0-4), who jumped to a nine-point lead, wasted Leslie Robinson’s career high 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 66-62 loss to undefeated and host Delaware (4-0) in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

Vanessa Smith also had a double double for Princeton with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Thus sets up an improbable matchup record wise Friday when Rutgers (0-4) takes the half-hour journey down U.S. 1 to winless Princeton for a matinee 2 p.m. encounter.

Robinson is the daughter of former Princeton star and former Oregon State coach Craig Robinson, whose sister Michelle Obama is the nation’s First Lady while she is married to President Barack Obama.

The Tigers are two seasons removed from the first unbeaten regular season in Ivy history.

Delaware, meanwhile, got 16 points and eight rebounds from Erika Brown who in a game similar to the finish between Saint Joseph’s and Penn, nailed two foul shots with five seconds remaining and the Blue Hens holding a two-point lead.

Sade Chapman, who had 12 points and eight rebounds, also hit a pair of free throws, coming with two seconds remaining in regulation for the final score.

Freshman Bailey Kargo had a career-high 14 points for the home team, which also got 10 from Nicole Enbosi, while Hannah Jardine had nine points off a trio of three-pointers.

“They are probably the best 0-4 team in the country,” Delaware coach Tina Martin said of Princeton.

“Our team is way different than last year,” said Delaware’s Brown. “We play differently. Our freshmen are a big key. They knock down big shots and that builds their confidence.”

Delaware is 4-0 for the first time since 2011-12, which was the senior season of all-time great Elena Delle Donne, now an All-Star with the WNBA Chicago Sky besides being an Olympic gold medalist.

The Blue Hens now head to northern California and in Cal State’s Northridge’s tournament facing No. 22 Michigan State on Friday.

Lehigh Handles Mount St. Mary’s

The last of four of the Guru’s PhilahoopsW teams in action Tuesday – Princeton and Delaware played each other – before Thanksgiving was Lehigh, which went on the road to down host Mount St. Mary’s 74-57, pulling away at the close of the non-conference game in Emmitsburg,

Quinci Martin scored 23 points for the Mountain Hawks (4-1) in the afternoon game against the Mount (1-4).

Freshman Hannah Hedstrom had a career-high 14 points.

Lehigh after celebrating the holiday will host its annual Christmas City Classic this weekend, playing Norfolk State Saturday and then either Hartford or Monmouth Sunday, two teams that each have Hawks as mascots.






         

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Drexel's Creighton Fires Game-Ending Trey to Key Dragons' Upset of No. 11 Syracuse

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA  Hours after No. 11 Syracuse reached an all-time high in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll, the NCAA national runnersup to Connecticut last April were felled by Meghan’s Comet, a deadly long-range three-point shot from the right side Monday night with nine seconds remaining that gave Drexel a stunning 62-61 upset in the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

“This is it,” Drexel coach Denise Dillon called the outcome her all-time high in terms of the 14 regular seasons of coaching the Dragons (3-1), who reigned fire all-night, especially fifth-year senior Meghan Creighton.

The graduate of Archbishop Carroll apparently saved the best for after last.

Extended into an extra winter due to an injury, Creighton made the event her personal career night, scoring personal highs of 23points, including a career-high 7 three-pointers.

The victory comes on the heels of a home-opening win over Penn State, which took down then No. 13 Tennessee on Sunday, and a competitive 73-63 loss last week at Vanderbilt.

"Very exciting, Couldn’t be happier for this group,” Dillon said. “I felt, defensively, to look at the score and hold them to 61 points was quite a task.”

That total was 30-under Syracuse’s scoring average entering the contest before the Orange (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season. With the visitors’ move several years ago out of the old Big East made the win Drexel’s first ove a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“The girls stuck to the game plan. There were some plays where a little panic was shown, especially on the offensive end, but we’ve been in this position, especially our veteran players and I thought it was great there that Sarah (Curran) didn’t panic, trying to get a two just to tie it, found Meg, who had the hot hand and pulled the trigger for that final three and that’s exciting.”

The only previous win over a ranked team was in 2010 against No. 25 James Madison, a rival in the Colonial Athletic Association, meaning there was a lot more familiarity then compared to playing Syracuse.

Of course postseason-wise in the Dillon era, there was knocking down Old Dominion’s perfect run in the CAA tournament at the semifinal stage and then beating. James Madison at James Madison the next day to win it. And there also was the WNIT title.

Meanwhile Creighton was asked to everyone through the winning play as it 

“The game’s a fast paced game so you don’t have much time to think,” Creighton said, recalling the winning play. “I saw (Drexel’s) Kelsi Lidge coming down the floor, I figured she was going to dri ve for the basket and hopefully my girl helps and I was just going to spot up.

“So that’ what I did and again I had the hot hand today so I caught it, I was open, you got to take the shot, so I took the shot and picked a good day to get my career high.”

Curran added 14 points to the Dragons’ attack and freshman Bailey Greenberg out of Archbishop Wood, scored 10 points.

The game was a homecoming of sorts for Brittney Sykes, the Newark, N.J., native who played on the same Philadelphia Belles AAU prime unit along with former UConn star Breanna Stewart.

She had a team-high 24 points but was one of a slew of Orangewomen who struggled at the line, shooting 8-for-18 as a team, with Sykes suffering at 0-for-4.

Syracuse shot 39 percent for the game and was out-rebounded by one 62-61.

The game was close throughout but it started to go in Syracuse’s direction, drifting to a six-point Orange lead with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left.

In those final minutes, Drexel connected at the line but layups by Greenberg and Curran closed the gap to a point with 20 seconds left.

Alexis Peterson, who was held to 14 points, was 1-2 from the line, with 18 seconds to play before Creighton nailed the game-winner on the next possession.

Then Petersen missed. Jumper as time expired.

That was a disappointing way to end the game,” said Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman. “(Drexel) made every play they possibly could make to win the game down the stretch. We dideverything possible to lose it – technical fouls, missed assignments on defense, missing layups and missing free throws. That’s how you lose a basketball game. We wee on their home floor.

“We had ample plays to win. But give them a ton of credit.”

A day earlier George Washington first-year coach Jen Rizzotti, a former UConn star, whose Colonials play Syracuse this weekend in Florida, unwitttingly forecasted the upset.

“Will be interesting, Rizzotti said.  “Drexel plays that good defense and Denise likes to play that good defense against the teams with Drexel is off until traveling to Patriot League favorite Bucknell on Sunday.


HONORS


 Several players from local teams won weekly conference awards on Monday. Gena Grundhoffer from Lehigh was the Patriot League Rookie of the Week and he College SportsMadness Player of the Week.

 Penn State’s Teniya Page, who averaged 26.0 last week and PSU got a win over Tennessee, was named Big Ten Player of the Week while Princeton’s Bella Alarie was the Big Five rookie of the week.

 Looking Ahead

 Saint Joseph’s is at Penn Tuesday night in a Big Five showdown that is the Quakers’ first of the season in the City Series and visiting Hawks’ second. Delaware hosts Princeton and if the visiting Tigers lose both Princeton and visiting Rutgers Friday afternoon will each be 0-4.