Hosted by Wittenberg University
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002
Semifinals
5:30 p.m.
#2 Ohio Wesleyan University (18-7) def. #6 Earlham College (11-15)
63-48
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan went on a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 63-48 win over the sixth-seeded Earlham Quakers in the first 2002 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal game Thursday night at Wittenberg's HPER Center.
At the time, OWU was trailing 10-8 and had played a sluggish first six minutes. But the defending NCAC tournament champions ratcheted up the defensive pressure at that point, holding Earlham scoreless for more than six minutes, and uncovered its potent transition game. The Bishops, who advanced all the way to the NCAA Division III Final Four a year ago, pulled out to a 28-17 margin by halftime and then exploded with 14-0 run to open the final 20 minutes as the Quakers didn't score for nearly six minutes of the second half.
"We were just a little tight," said first-year OWU Head Coach Liana Coutts, whose team is now 18-7 on the season. "We've been under an extraordinary amount of pressure, but we loosened up a little bit. We found openings and what they were giving us and really attacked them."
The Bishops, who were paced by outstanding games from freshman forward Kelly Heil with 21 points and junior center Mindy Hammond's 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, advanced to the NCAC tournament championship game for the fourth straight year. Earlham, which finished the year 11-15 after pulling the upset in overtime on Tuesday over No. 3 seed Denison, was paced by sophomore forward Lindsey Chappell with 15 points and sophomore guard Michelle Behler with 12 points.
The Quakers were undone by 28 percent shooting for the game, a fact acknowledged by Head Coach Jeannine Ruh. "We just weren't hitting our shots in the first half," she said. "We were taking good shots, but none of them were going in the basket."
Box Score Ohio Wesleyan def. Earlham, 63-48
7:45 p.m.
#1 Wittenberg University (21-5) def. #4 Allegheny College (15-11)
75-58
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It was a performance that could only be described as workmanlike. Playing against the bigger, more physical Allegheny Gators, Wittenberg's women's basketball team cobbled things together nicely for a 75-58 victory in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.
The top-seeded Tigers, who improved to 21-5 on the season just two days after defeating Wooster in Tuesday's quarterfinals for Head Coach Pam Smith's 300th career win, advanced to Saturday's championship game against No. 2 seed Ohio Wesleyan. The Bishops, who split a pair of regular season meetings with the Tigers, were a 63-48 winner in the first semifinal game over Earlham.
Wittenberg shot just 31 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free throw line, but the Tigers limited Allegheny to 28 percent shooting from the field in the first half, forced 23 turnovers in the game and outrebounded the Gators 49-41. In the process, Wittenberg slowly wore down Allegheny, winning for the second time in three meetings this year.
"I thought we played real good defense tonight and I was very pleased with our rebounding," said Smith, who was presented with a proclamation from Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland after the game in recognition of her professional accomplishments. "The rebounding was such a key. When we lost to them earlier this season, they had 23 points on putbacks. Tonight they had nine."
A 16-3 Wittenberg run midway through the first half expanded a 14-13 lead into a 30-16 cushion and started the Tigers on their way. Allegheny closed to within three points in the second half, but Wittenberg, which has won five NCAC tournament titles since 1991, had an answer every time.
More often than not, junior guard Kate Rolf was the one with the answers for the Tigers. The team's leading scorer for a second straight year, Rolf dropped in 16 points, including three three-pointers, despite foul trouble. Joining Rolf in double figures were freshman guard Emilie Schmid with 14 and junior forward Tiffany Keller with 10.
Allegheny guard Jessica Kankoski led all scorers with 23 points, and she was joined in double figures by forward Meredith McDonough with 14 on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. The Gators concluded their season at 15-11, while the Tigers advanced to the title game since 1999, when Ohio Wesleyan won a tight game on its home court 74-72.
"The team's excited," Smith said. "To be in the championship and to be at home, that's what we wanted."
Box Score Wittenberg def. Allegheny, 75-58
Championship Game
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002
4 p.m.
#2 Ohio Wesleyan University (19-7) def. #1 Wittenberg University (21-6) 81-75 (OT)
It was a tale of two halves - and then came overtime. When the dust had settled, the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops had rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the No. 1 seed and host Wittenberg University Tigers, 81-75 in overtime to capture the NCAC's automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth.
In the first half, Wittenberg raced out to a double-digit lead and by halftime the Tigers had stretched their advantage to 45-29. The Tigers were dominating on the glass, outrebounding the taller, more experienced Bishops 25-18, including 11 offensive boards. But then came a furious second half rally by OWU, the defending champion and second seed in this year's competition. OWU took the lead for the first time since early in the game at 62-61 on a short jumper by Kelly Heil at the 4:02 mark of the second half.
With the momentum on the other side, the Tigers finally fought back but still trailed by three points with six seconds left in the game. That's when Tiger guard Stephanie Campbell drove the length of the court and buried a game-tying three-pointer just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Ohio Wesleyan continued to pound the ball inside as it had done throughout the second half and took control. Wittenberg took an early three-point lead on a long jumper by freshman Emilie Schmid, but OWU's post play was just too much. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tiffany Barbee had five points in the overtime, while Mindy Hammond hit for six huge points in the extra session. Barbee finished the game with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench, and she was joined in double figures scoring by Michelle Wolfe with 17 points, Katy Sturtz with 12 and Hammond and Heil with 10 each.
Wittenberg was paced by junior guard Kate Rolf, who finished with 21 points. Also reaching double figures were junior guard Stephanie Campbell with 13 points and junior forward Tiffany Keller with 11.
Box Score Ohio Wesleyan 81, Wittenberg 75 (OT)
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002
Semifinals
5:30 p.m.
#2 Ohio Wesleyan University (18-7) def. #6 Earlham College (11-15)
63-48
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan went on a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 63-48 win over the sixth-seeded Earlham Quakers in the first 2002 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal game Thursday night at Wittenberg's HPER Center.
At the time, OWU was trailing 10-8 and had played a sluggish first six minutes. But the defending NCAC tournament champions ratcheted up the defensive pressure at that point, holding Earlham scoreless for more than six minutes, and uncovered its potent transition game. The Bishops, who advanced all the way to the NCAA Division III Final Four a year ago, pulled out to a 28-17 margin by halftime and then exploded with 14-0 run to open the final 20 minutes as the Quakers didn't score for nearly six minutes of the second half.
"We were just a little tight," said first-year OWU Head Coach Liana Coutts, whose team is now 18-7 on the season. "We've been under an extraordinary amount of pressure, but we loosened up a little bit. We found openings and what they were giving us and really attacked them."
The Bishops, who were paced by outstanding games from freshman forward Kelly Heil with 21 points and junior center Mindy Hammond's 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, advanced to the NCAC tournament championship game for the fourth straight year. Earlham, which finished the year 11-15 after pulling the upset in overtime on Tuesday over No. 3 seed Denison, was paced by sophomore forward Lindsey Chappell with 15 points and sophomore guard Michelle Behler with 12 points.
The Quakers were undone by 28 percent shooting for the game, a fact acknowledged by Head Coach Jeannine Ruh. "We just weren't hitting our shots in the first half," she said. "We were taking good shots, but none of them were going in the basket."
Box Score Ohio Wesleyan def. Earlham, 63-48
7:45 p.m.
#1 Wittenberg University (21-5) def. #4 Allegheny College (15-11)
75-58
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It was a performance that could only be described as workmanlike. Playing against the bigger, more physical Allegheny Gators, Wittenberg's women's basketball team cobbled things together nicely for a 75-58 victory in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.
The top-seeded Tigers, who improved to 21-5 on the season just two days after defeating Wooster in Tuesday's quarterfinals for Head Coach Pam Smith's 300th career win, advanced to Saturday's championship game against No. 2 seed Ohio Wesleyan. The Bishops, who split a pair of regular season meetings with the Tigers, were a 63-48 winner in the first semifinal game over Earlham.
Wittenberg shot just 31 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free throw line, but the Tigers limited Allegheny to 28 percent shooting from the field in the first half, forced 23 turnovers in the game and outrebounded the Gators 49-41. In the process, Wittenberg slowly wore down Allegheny, winning for the second time in three meetings this year.
"I thought we played real good defense tonight and I was very pleased with our rebounding," said Smith, who was presented with a proclamation from Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland after the game in recognition of her professional accomplishments. "The rebounding was such a key. When we lost to them earlier this season, they had 23 points on putbacks. Tonight they had nine."
A 16-3 Wittenberg run midway through the first half expanded a 14-13 lead into a 30-16 cushion and started the Tigers on their way. Allegheny closed to within three points in the second half, but Wittenberg, which has won five NCAC tournament titles since 1991, had an answer every time.
More often than not, junior guard Kate Rolf was the one with the answers for the Tigers. The team's leading scorer for a second straight year, Rolf dropped in 16 points, including three three-pointers, despite foul trouble. Joining Rolf in double figures were freshman guard Emilie Schmid with 14 and junior forward Tiffany Keller with 10.
Allegheny guard Jessica Kankoski led all scorers with 23 points, and she was joined in double figures by forward Meredith McDonough with 14 on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. The Gators concluded their season at 15-11, while the Tigers advanced to the title game since 1999, when Ohio Wesleyan won a tight game on its home court 74-72.
"The team's excited," Smith said. "To be in the championship and to be at home, that's what we wanted."
Box Score Wittenberg def. Allegheny, 75-58
Championship Game
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002
4 p.m.
#2 Ohio Wesleyan University (19-7) def. #1 Wittenberg University (21-6) 81-75 (OT)
It was a tale of two halves - and then came overtime. When the dust had settled, the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops had rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the No. 1 seed and host Wittenberg University Tigers, 81-75 in overtime to capture the NCAC's automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth.
In the first half, Wittenberg raced out to a double-digit lead and by halftime the Tigers had stretched their advantage to 45-29. The Tigers were dominating on the glass, outrebounding the taller, more experienced Bishops 25-18, including 11 offensive boards. But then came a furious second half rally by OWU, the defending champion and second seed in this year's competition. OWU took the lead for the first time since early in the game at 62-61 on a short jumper by Kelly Heil at the 4:02 mark of the second half.
With the momentum on the other side, the Tigers finally fought back but still trailed by three points with six seconds left in the game. That's when Tiger guard Stephanie Campbell drove the length of the court and buried a game-tying three-pointer just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Ohio Wesleyan continued to pound the ball inside as it had done throughout the second half and took control. Wittenberg took an early three-point lead on a long jumper by freshman Emilie Schmid, but OWU's post play was just too much. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tiffany Barbee had five points in the overtime, while Mindy Hammond hit for six huge points in the extra session. Barbee finished the game with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench, and she was joined in double figures scoring by Michelle Wolfe with 17 points, Katy Sturtz with 12 and Hammond and Heil with 10 each.
Wittenberg was paced by junior guard Kate Rolf, who finished with 21 points. Also reaching double figures were junior guard Stephanie Campbell with 13 points and junior forward Tiffany Keller with 11.
Box Score Ohio Wesleyan 81, Wittenberg 75 (OT)
2001
Kiwanis-Wittenberg Women's Basketball Holiday Classic
All-Tournament Team
Tiffany Barbee (OWU) - MVP
Michelle Wolfe (OWU)
Kelly Heil (OWU)
Kate Rolf (Wittenberg)
Lindsey Chappell (Earlham)
Jessica Kankoski (Allegheny)