| Southern Maine rushes the floor in celebration after upsetting No. 9 Bowdoin in the NCAA Tournament. Photo by Brian Beard, GoUBears.com |
Bates found some late game magic and ousted Smith from the NCAA Tournament in Lewiston, while Southern Maine turned back the clock in a road win over Bowdoin in Brunswick, Maine. Elsewhere, Johns Hopkins set a new record, WashU pushed past OWU, Hope outlasted Illinois Wesleyan, and the top four seeds moved on.
Bates looked like it would fall victim to another deep Tournament run from Smith, but the Bobcats rallied to tie the game late and then won in overtime, 74-70. Smith dominated the first half and took a 39-23 lead into the locker room after Mya Williams closed the first half with a layup. The Bears continued to hold a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter until Bates went on a 15-2 run. Mya Hicks hit a three to pull the Bobcats even at 60 and both teams came up empty on their last possession in regulation.
After the teams exchanged leads early in overtime, Lilly Lambo put Bates in front with a three-point play and Hicks nailed another three, extending the Bobcats’ advantage to 69-64. Smith pulled within two with 19 seconds left and had a chance to take the lead, but the Bears’ three was off the mark and Sarah Hughes clinched the Bates’ win with two free throws.
Sophie Spolter scored 20 points and went 6 for 8 from the foul line for Bates (26-3). Virginia Johnson had 13 points and 13 rebounds in 45 minutes for Smith (28-2), which reached the national semifinals the last three seasons.
Southern Maine turned back the clock and upset regional host Bowdoin, 67-59, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. Bowdoin trailed for much of the game, but pulled within one on Melissa Leone’s three-pointer with four minutes remaining. The Huskies’ defense held firm, and Lucy Wiles extended the lead to 58-53 with two layups. Southern Maine (27-2) was excellent from the free throw line, converting 23 of 25 attempts, including a perfect 9-for-9 showing from Little East Conference Player of the Year Jaycie Christopher. Abbie Quinn scored 20 points for Bowdoin (25-3), which was eliminated from the Tournament at home for the second consecutive season.
John Hopkins turned up the defensive pressure and turned away Baldwin Wallace, 59-46, to advance to its third straight Sweet 16. Trailing by five at the half, the Blue Jays ratcheted up their full court press and turned the Yellow Jackets over 13 times in the third quarter, often in the Baldwin Wallace back court, leading to fastbreak baskets. Johns Hopkins won the third period by 13 and then pushed its lead to double digits midway through the fourth quarter. The Blue Jays scored 23 points off 30 BW turnovers, led by first-year guard Faith Williamson who had 18 points for the game. Johns Hopkins also set a new program record with its 29th win of the season.
Washington U. got 24 points from All-American Lexy Harris and 21 from Sidney Rogers, and the Bears held off Ohio Wesleyan, 73-68. WashU took an 11-point lead with 2:23 to play before the Battling Bishops scored eight straight, capped by Mia Guscoff’s three-pointer. The Bears split free throws, extending their lead one point at a time, and OWU was unable to score again.
The matchup between All-American posts was as good as billed with Macy Miller countering Harris’ big game with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for Ohio Wesleyan (21-6). WashU (21-6) picked up its 77th all-time NCAA Tournament win.
The UAA sent a second team through to the sectionals, as the University of Chicago stifled UW-Whitewater and eliminated the Warhawks in Wisconsin, 62-46. The Maroons outscored UW-Whitewater 41-18 in the second half, and Chris Sanders scored a career-high 25 points, while Bri Simpson added 16 points and 11 boards for UChicago (19-7).
For the second time this season, Hope triumphed over Illinois Wesleyan in overtime in DeVos Fieldhouse, this time by a score of 90-85. Trailing by eight early in the fourth quarter, Illinois Wesleyan went on a 15-1 run and took a 72-66 lead following back-to-back threes by Asia Kobylarczyk and Sara Balli. Leah Richards scored four straight to help stabilize the Flying Dutch, and Hope eventually tied the game at 77 on Sydney Vis’ layup. The Titans had three shots to win the game at the end of regulation, but Terin Maynard blocked the first one and the Titans missed the next two.
Hope seized control in overtime when Maddie Petroelje hit a three, Vis added two free throws, and Merin scored a layup to take the Flying Dutch’s lead to 86-79. The Titans pulled within three, but Petroelje and Richards hit their final four free throws to lock down Hope’s victory.
Vis led Hope (26-3) with 22 points, but had plenty of help from Anna Richards (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Petroelje (19 points). The Flying Dutch went 30 for 37 from the foul line, as three Titan starters fouled out and the others finished with four fouls each. Ava Bardic and Balli combined for 46 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois Wesleyan (23-6) before fouling out,
One night after scoring 90 points, Trine was held in check by Denison’s defense, and the Big Red defeated the Thunder, 63-54. Denison led from start to finish and pushed its lead to double-digits at the end of the third quarter. Abby Cooch scored 24 points on seven 3-pointers and three free throws for Denison (26-2). The Big Red outscored Trine (23-6) 33-12 from behind the arc.
John Carroll used a balanced attack to get the better of SUNY New Paltz, as four Blue Streaks starters scored double figures in JCU’s 74-54 victory. The Blue Streaks (26-4) shot 48 percent from the field with Carly Perusek and Graci Semptimphelter combining for 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Brianna Fitzgerald finished her stellar career at SUNY New Paltz (26-3) with 28 points, nine rebounds, and five assists before fouling out.
The top four seeds advanced with varying degrees of ease.
Top-ranked New York University shrugged off a sluggish start and rolled past Messiah, 70-47, for its 89th consecutive victory. The Violets trailed 9-5 midway through the first quarter before going on a 14-0 run capped by Brooke Batchelor’s layup. Caroline Peper poured in 25 points in 40 minutes for NYU (27-0), while Liv Monturo followed up her big game against Cortland with 19 points for Messiah (24-5).
No. 2 Scranton took a little longer to pull away before finishing off Otterbein by similar margin of victory, 82-43. The Cardinals hung within six of the Royals after one period and 14 at the half, but Scranton held Otterbein to 18 points in the second half and coasted to victory. Kaci Kranson tallied 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while first-year guard Sophia Talutto added 14 points off the bench for Scranton (29-0).
No. 3 Washington and Lee rode a strong game from its reserves past Christopher Newport, 61-55, and into the sectional round. The Generals’ bench players outscored the Captains’ 34-17, thanks to 10 points apiece from Megan Zimmerman and Riley Bryant. Christopher Newport held All-American Mary Schleusner to seven points in 23 minutes, ending her double-double streak at 24 consecutive games, but Sarah Zimmerman led the way with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four blocks for Washington and Lee (30-0).
Paige Seckar notched a double-double, and UW-Oshkosh downed Wisconsin Lutheran, 65-56. Warriors hung tough and trailed by six in the closing minutes after Maggie Stevens’ three cut the Titans’ lead to 62-56. But that was the last time Wisconsin Lutheran scored, and the Titans sealed the victory at the free throw line. Seckar filled the stat sheet with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks for UW-Oshkosh (26-3).
Conference mates UW-La Crosse is also headed to the sectionals after the Eagles overwhelmed Carroll, 80-60. Four La Crosse starters scored double figures, led by Grace Knupp who had 17, and the Eagles shot 52 percent from the field. Natalie Gricius followed up her huge Friday night game with another strong performance, scoring 24 points for Carroll (23-6), but the Pioneers only had four players score in the game.
Bethel is going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years because the Royals took care of Coe, 57-48. Bethel (24-6) scored the first nine points of the second quarter and led the rest of the way, paced by Rosalie Penke (18 points) and Elly Schmitz (16 points). Caydee Kirkham scored 22 points for Coe (22-7).
Hardin-Simmons held Whitman to nine points in the first half and breezed through the second round at home, 56-35. The Cowgirls held Whitman to 4-for-27 shooting in the first half, and the Blues went 1 for 21 from three. ASC MVP Jacqueline Berry sparked the Hardin-Simmons offense with 19 points and three assists, as the Cowgirls booked another Sweet 16 matchup with NYU. The Violets defeated Hardin-Simmons in New York in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Concordia-Moorhead secured the last spot in the sectional round, as the Cobbers held off Ripon, 68-65. The Red Hawks had the ball down three with 12 seconds left, but the Cobbers denied Ripon a good look at a game-tying three. Maya Metcalf led Concordia-Moorhead (25-4) with 24 points and eight boards. Laney Havlovitz racked up 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists for Ripon (26-3).
The NCAA announced that sectional hosting duties will go to the top four seeds — New York University, University of Scranton, Washington and Lee, and UW-Oshkosh.