The Guru Report: Two Escapes Mark A-10 Openers; Penn State and Rutgers Take Big Ten First Rounders

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

WILMINGTON, Del. – “See you tomorrow.”

 

With those words Duquesne women’s basketball coach Dan Burt Wednesday afternoon at the three-game first round play of the Atlantic 10 tournament here at CHASE Fieldhouse was quick to put survive and advance into practice following his 10^th-seeded team’s 58-57 narrow escape over 15^th-seeded Loyola Chicago (6-24).

 

The Dukes (19-11) had little trouble early with the league newcomers (6-24) but the Ramblers mounted a huge rally in the second half moving to within a point with 21 seconds left in regulation and then fell short as time expired when newcomer Kira Chivers missed a potential game-winner.

 

“It’s March Madness, that’s the only way you can describe it,” Burt acknowledged the turn of the calendar that brings about the most frenzied month of the year in collegiate basketball.

 

“We certainly are happy to move and to continue our season. The best words that you can hear in March are `see you tomorrow,’ so we’ll you all tomorrow.”

 

The two locals in this field, eighth seeded LaSalle (17-13) and sixth seeded Saint Joseph’s (19-9) through their play the past two months earned a free pass into Thursday’s second round.

 

La Salle will launch the four-game slate at 11 a.m. playing ninth-seeded George Mason (15-14), while the Hawks will close the day out at 7:30 p.m. drawing 11^th-seeded Davidson (13-15) which played the final game here, eliminating 14^th-seeded St. Bonaventure 70-51.

 

While the two teams that tied for first in top seeded and defending champion UMass (24-5) and second-seeded Rhode Island (23-5), who split their series, are deemed co-favorites, neither assured an NCAA at-large bid with a loss, Saint Joseph’s could be considered a dark horse off he Hawks’ improved play and going to the wire in the three games with the co-leaders.

 

Freshman Laura Ziegler made it two straight rookie of the year honors in the A-10 out of Hawk Hill following Talya Brugler, who landed on the All-Conference first team.

 

Brugler is the first Hawk to earn all-first team honors since WNBA Washington Mystics star Natasha Cloud in 2015.

 

Ziegler, additionally made the third team as did Saint Joseph’s Mackenzie Smith and. La Salle graduate student Kayla Spruill.

 

The Explorers’ Mia Jacobs, whose older Australian sisters Amy and Claire graduate, joined Ziegler on the all-freshman team.

 

UMass grad student Sam Breen repeated as player of the year, Fordham’s Asiah Dingke and Saint Louis’ Brooke Flowers were voted co-defensive players of the year by the league’s coaches, while George Washington’s freshman Nya Robertson got the Sixth Woman of the Year award.

 

Rhode Island’s Maye Toure is the most improved while Rams coach Tammi Reiss, the former backcourt mate to Dawn Staley at Virginia in the early ‘90s, earned her conference colleagues’ salute.

 

Meanwhile, in the opening game, which like the last one, had one team own the first half and the other fall just short in the second, saw 12^th-seeded Dayton (6-20), coached by former UConn star Tamika Williams-Jeter, top 13^th-seeded VCU 67-61 ending the Rams’ season at 7-22.

 

Dayton, which has only six players, will participate in the second game at 1:30 p.m. facing fifth-seeded Richmond, before 7^th-seeded George Washington (17-12) meets Duquesne at 5 p.m.

 

In Friday’s quarter-finals Fordham (18-11) has a double-bye with UMass and Rhode Island, playing the Dayton-Richmond winner while third-seeded Saint Louis plays the Saint Joseph’s winner.

 

The early rounds are airing on ESPN+, Saturday’s semifinals will be on CBSSN, and Sunday’s championship will air on ESPNU at noon.

 

Penn State and Rutgers Take Big Ten Openers

 

Ironically, the only other two locals in tournament play Wednesday saw the two A-10 stalwarts of yesteryear Penn State and Rutgers stay alive for a second day in the power packed Big Ten tournament in Minneapolis.

 

Penn State (14-16), the 13^th seed which fell narrowly twice to 12^th-seeded Minnesota (11-19) during the season, knocked the host Golden Gophers out 72-67.

 

The Lady Lions will face 17^th-ranked and fifth-seeded Michigan Thursday approximately between 1:30 p.m. and 2 on the Big Ten Network (B!G), which is carrying all the games until Sunday’s 5 p.m. final on ESPN.

 

Marisa Makenna, an all-Big Ten honoree, scored 22 points and Shay Ciezki scored 16 points, while Temple transfer Alexa Williamson and Leilani Kapinus each scored 11.

 

Minnesota, coached by former WNBA star and Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen, got 25 points from Mara Braun, while Amaya Battle scored 16.

 

“To win a close one at the end like that when obviously we lost Shay and Leilani fouled out. Can’t say enough about our toughness,” said Penn State coach Carolyn Keiger.

 

Rutgers, the 11^th seed, beat 14^th-seeded Northwestern, 63-59, and will face No. 6 Illinois between 8:30 and 9 in the final game of Thursday’s second round.

 

Kaylene Smikle scored 26 points for the Scarlet Knights (12-19), while Chyna Cornwell had a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Awa Sidibe and Kai Carter each scored 11.

 

Northwestern (9-21), coached by Father Judge grad Joe McKeown, got 24 points from Caileigh Walsh, while Paige Mott scored 11.

 

“This is our fourth game in nine days, and not one person on this team was ready to fold because of the challenge,” said first year coach Coquese Washington, a former Notre Dame star and assistant who also coached Penn State. 

 

“I thought Rutgers was on fire, and the turning point for us, we come back and tie it,” McKeown said. “It was a great game in the fourth quarter. We just couldn’t finish it.”

 

Temple Snaps Losing Streak

 

The Owls wrapped up both their regular season and home slate ahead of next week’s American Athletic Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, by snapping a six-game slid with a triumph on senior night against SMU 68-62 in the Liacouras Center.

 

It was the longest dry spell since the 2018-19 season for Temple (11-17, 6-10 AAC), which is in its first year under former Towson coach Diane Richardson.

 

“We played team defense,” Richardson said. “We helped out when we needed to help out.”

 

Tarriyonna Gary scored 15 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor behind Tiarra East, who had 21 points and six rebounds against the Mustangs (16-11, 7-8).

 

Speaking of a third quarter that had swallowed the Owls in a slew of losses but not this game, Richardson said, “That third quarter has been creeping on us all year. But again … stepped up, and we know we were ok for the fourth quarter.”

 

Brittany Garner, the lone senior on Temple’s roster, had 15 points and seven rebounds.

 

The Owls drew the ninth seed for next week, playing either Tulsa or Wichita State at 2 p.m. Monday on the tourney’s opening day.

 

“We’ve got to understand that it is win or go home,” Richardson said. “That will give us some extra motivation, that we’ve got to play hard to win.”

 

Lehigh and Lafayette End Patriot Season with Wins

The Mountain Hawks and Leopards both finished their regular season play in the Patriot League on the winning side, Lafayette topping host Navy 74-64 while Lehigh downed Army 69-42 at West Point.

 

Makayla Andrews in the game in Annapolis, Md., scored career highs in points with 27 and rebounds for 17 for a double-double for Lafayette (10-18, 7-11 Patriot League).

 

Abby Antognoli added 17 points to the Leopards’ attack, while Sauda Ntaconayigize scored 15, and Kay Donahue scored 11.

 

Navy (1-28, 1-17) got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Kate Samson, while Lindsay Llewellyn scored 11 as did Maren Louridas, and Sam Schofield scored 14 off the bench.

 

While Lafayette will be the eighth seed this weekend hosting a first round conference tourney game on ESPN+ in the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Lehigh (16-13,12-6 PL) off the win in Cristl Arena will be the third seed hosting No. 6 Bucknell at 6 p.m. Monday night also on ESPN+.

 

“The theme of the day was play,” said Lehigh first-year coach Addie Micir. “We knew the scout and we knew our systems, and I just wanted them to play hard, play smart, play smart, play together and play with joy, and we sure did.”

 

Mackanzie Kramer had 16 points for the Mountain Hawks, while Anna Harvey had a career high 15 points, Lily Fandre scored 11, and Ella Stemmer scored 10.

 

Hope Brown scored 12 for Army.

 

Nationally Noted: The Fighting SEC

 

Texas A&M beat Vanderbilt 77-70 and Kentucky beat Florida 72-57 in Southeastern Conference first-round games in Greenville, S.C.

 

But the story in a conference that has two in the AP top five and no one elsewhere was a melee that broke out near the end of the first half, delaying the game for 22 minutes as officials dealt with the mess, per the reporting by ESPN’s M.A. Voepel.

 

No. 14 Kentucky’s Ajae Petty pushed the ball at Florida’s Tatyana Wyche, rolling it in her face, Voepel said, following the Wildcats’ score.

 

Wyche then tossed the ball her way, did not hit anyone, but ran toward her.

 

An altercation than occurred near Kentucky’s bench and ultimately four players from each side were tossed.

 

It may be early in the PAC -12 but in the first round No. 19 ranked UCLA had to go into overtime in Las Vegas to beat Arizona State 81-70, while Oregon State, which struggled down the stretch, beat Southern Cal 56-48.

 

Oregon beat Washington 52-50, while Washington State beat California 61-49.

 

And that’s the report.