The Guru’s Small College Report: Rowan Rallies to Win NJAC

(Guru note: With locals doing well, at this time of year, the report splits into two separates)

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

When the NCAA Division III women’s basketball selection show rolls out Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. to introduce this year’s field, for the first time in 21 seasons, the only things Rowan in South Jersey will need to know is the matchup, where it is, what’s the seed, and nothing more.

The Profs got rid of the suspense Friday night of wondering if they would even be taken, thanks to a second half comeback at home in Esby Gym to beat Montclair State 64-54 with a breakaway finish to win the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the first time since 1999.

The victory in Glassboro provides Rowan (24-3) with the perk of an automatic bid to the Division III version of the Big Dance, thus not the antsy waiting of still needing confirmation to learn if an at-large bid would be granted for the way the Profs excelled in the regulation, finishing with the No. 1 seed.

Over the last two decades, that’s what the Profs had to endure, though this is now the seventh NJAC trophy heading for the display case.

Down 39-33 at the half to second-seed Montclair State (21-6), whom the Profs split in their two conference games, Rowan came to life over the next two quarters, outscoring the Red Hawks 31-15, though it took until the closing stages of the fourth quarter to head into victory lane.

“I told the team at halftime that execution, offensively, was not the greatest,” said head coach Demetrius Poles. “We all had to get on the same page. I told them we were still in it, even if we did not play well.

“We were only down six points at the half,” Poles said. “We had 20 minutes to win and we did it.”

The Profs website still lists Poles, who has coached a bunch internationally, as interim, which if it hasn’t been changed, perhaps soon it will be.

 He had been an assistant for three seasons to longtime head coach Gabby Lisella, who retired last September.

“I am certain that Demetrius will be an excellent recruiter, teacher and mentor, who will bring much success to our women’s basketball program,” said interim athletic director Dr. John Giannini, a former La Salle men’s head coach, at the time of the appointment.

“Demetrius bleeds brown and gold,” said Lisella, who had been in charge for 19 seasons, dating to a year after the last championship. “I couldn’t leave the program in better hands and I am excited to see where he takes it.”

Poles was a member of the Rowan 1996 national championship men’s team as a starting center and leading rebounder. He also played for Saint Joseph’s as a freshman, landing on the Atlantic 10 Conference all-rookie team in 1992.

As for Friday’s tale of the tape, guard Nicole Mallard had a game-high 22 points, fueled by shooting 10-for-13 from the line. Guard Kennedy Brown scored 13 points, and guard Grace Marshall scored 10.

Ayanna Johnson had 10 rebounds and broke the school season mark now with 354, two more than the 352 from Takiyah Bowen in 1997-98.

It looked like the game might get away in the third when Montclair State, the alma mater of legendary scoring star Carol Blazejowski, bolted from the half with an 11-3 run, building a 12-point lead at 48-36.

But then the Profs came to life with a 12-0 run to tie it at 48-48 at the end of the period. Mallard, who had 15 points in the second half, had the last eight in the run and 10 in the period.

“I knew I had to get it going offensively,” Mallard said. “The team and coaches kind of rely on me to get to the basket and get to the line. 

“I knew we were down, and I was trying to do my best because everyone wanted this so bad. We have been talking about this for weeks and everyone was so nervous and excited today. I wanted to do everything to make my teammates, coaches, and everyone happy.”

The road to that joy began on the next possession.

Kennedy Brown gave Rowan the lead at 50-48 with 8:11 left in regulation. Savannah Holt added one more making 1- of 2 from the line but Montclair’s Nickie Carter tied it with a triple at 51-51 with 7:45 left.

Then Kennedy Brown on separate trips to the line went 1-for-2 each time for a 53-51 lead with 6:33 left.

Mallard’s layup extended it to 55-51 with 5:40 left before Taylor Brown brought Montclair State close again within a point by nailing a shot beyond the arc with 3:59 left.

But that was the highwater mark of the Red Hawks’ last effort yielding to a 9-0 run by the Profs the rest of the way. 

Mallard had two foul shots, Johnson went 1-for-2, then Marshall scored inside to make it 60-54 with 2:48 left.

A Carter turnover and two foul shots from Alexis Kriley made it an eight-point lead at 62-54 with 2:32 left. 

The Profs continued to shut out the Red Hawks on the defense end while Mallard and Kennedy Brown each went 1-for-2 from the line in the last minute for the final score.

Carter, who had eight of the 11 points in the Montclair opening run in the third, scored 17, while Taylor Brown had 13, and Alex McKinnon had 10. Cerys MacLelland had 13 rebounds and eight assists.

“Just coming from where I have been the last three years, it has been amazing,” Kriley said. “There is no other team I’d rather be doing this. Every single girl on this team put in so much work every single day. We do everything together and we do each thing as a team.”

During the season, Rowan was sailing along until the Profs were blunted by Montclair in their first game, 70-59, up in North Jersey, but the Profs pulled out a thrilling 67-65 win a few weeks later back home in Glassboro to regain the top seed.

Rowan went 16-2 in NJAC games, the other loss being at home in a split with The College of New Jersey. But the Profs avenged that loss this week beating the Lions at home in the semifinals.

This week Rowan jumped to 20^th in the Coaches national Division III poll and are ranked second in the NCAA Atlantic Region.

The way these things have been paired in the past, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rowan meeting someone from Pennsylvania’s near side. 

On Monday, the Profs will know who, but they can enjoy the rest of the weekend, no longer having to worry over being omitted.

Haverford Heads to Centennial Championship

It will be top seeded Haverford and second-seed Gettysburg playing in the Fords’ Gooding Arena at 4 p.m. Saturday for a repeat in the Centennial Conference championship and another trip via automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Haverford also went in recent years as an at-large pick.

The field and draw will be announced Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. on the web at NCAA.com.

Haverford advanced in the semifinals Friday night at Gooding by ousting No. 4 seed Dickinson 67-57 while No. 2 Gettysburg eliminated No. 3 Johns Hopkins 63-49. The losing Blue Jays (14-6, 17-9 CC) had beaten the Fords a week ago in Baltimore in the final game of the regular season.

It’s the third straight year Haverford (22-4, 18-2) and the Bullets (22-4, 17-3) have met, while this season the two teams split their games, winning on each other’s court by narrow outcomes.

 Gettysburg took the first game 69-64 in early January and early this month the Ford forced a payback 54-51.

Against Dickinson (16-11, 13-7), Anna-Sophia Capizzi had 24 points for Haverford, while Julianna Clark scored 17, and Megan Furch scored 14. Cortlyn Morris helped the defensive effort with nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

Haverford has beaten Dickinson in all three meetings, including Friday’s semifinal when coach Bobbi Morgan’s squad got 16 points off turnovers and limited Dickinson to just one three-pointer in 10 attempts.

It’s the fourth straight season Gettysburg has advanced to the title round. 

Ashley Gehrin had 14 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of assists, while Tori Yantsos had 11 points, Meredith Brown had nine points and nine rebounds with pairs of blocked shots and assists, and Emma Hahner had nine rebounds.

Diarra Oden had 17 points for the Blue Jays, while Erin Walsh scored 12, and Emily Howie had 10 rebounds.

This is Gettysburg’s fourth straight year in the Centennial championship, the first for any team with that string since Muhlenberg went five straight times from 2008-12.

Cabrini Takes on Marymount for the Atlantic East Crown

The Cavaliers (19-7) will be the underdogs Saturday when they face top-seeded Marymount as the No. 2 seed for the Atlantic East crown at noon in Arlington, Va. 

A Berth in the NCAA Division III tournament is also on the line here to the winner of the championship.

Cabrini advanced by beating Gwynedd Mercy earlier this week while Marymount ousted Marywood.

During the season, Cabrini topped Marymount 76-67 at home in Nerney Field House but lost on the road 68-45.

There’s no immediate local in the D-III Colonial State Athletic Conference title game playing for an automatic bid with Rosemont having gone from last season’s breakthrough to a rebuild mode.

The championship game will feature Keystone College (20-6) out of La Plume, Pa., out of the Northeastern part of the state for the second straight year in the CSAC title game playing St. Elizabeth at home Saturday in Ace Spaulding Arena.

Keystone swept St. Elizabeth in their two games. 

The Giants beat Centenary 68-47 in a semifinal Wednesday at home to advance while St. Elizabeth out of Morristown, N.J., ousted Notre Dame of Maryland 76-51.

CACC: Going for Landmarks and one More Win

Basically, it’s tune up Saturday for the four South Division teams in next week’s Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference leading to a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament.

The teams and seeds are all set and actually playing each other.

USciences (24-3, 17-1), the top seed, will be going for a program-record 19 straight wins when it travels to Chestnut Hill (11-16, 10-8), the fourth seed, at 1 p.m., while third-seed Jefferson (16-11, 12-6), on an eight-game win streak, will finish up at the Gallagher Center in East Falls, hosting second-seed Holy Family (16-9, 14-4) at 2 p.m.

Jefferson coach Tom Shirley, in his 31^st season with the Rams, is going for his 794^th overall victory.

The bracket will be revealed once Saturday’s games are over.

In the north, Nyack and Concordia are fighting for the fourth and final seed behind Post, Dominican, and Caldwell, with Concordia needing a win and Nyack loss to land a berth.

And that is your small college report.