Go Pioneers!
At least, that’s the cry in four places this weekend. Elsewhere it’s Bears, Blue Devils, Cardinals, Choctaws, Cowgirls, Eagles, Ephs, Flying Dutchmen/Dutch, Huskies, Jumbos, Lions, Loggers, Lutes, Marlins, Polar Bears, Royals, Thunder, Tigers, Titans, Yellow Jackets and Yellowjackets.
Widener’s Pioneers are the ones I saw this weekend. Constantly kept both Catholic and York out of their game plan offensively, appeared to fluster both teams into taking ill-advised shots. I look forward to their matchup with William Paterson’s Pioneers. Kris Clarkson didn’t shoot well, but both teams gave him plenty of attention on defense. Clarkson still got his points both nights.
I was the last person out of Wolf Gym, as far as I could tell. Somehow that doesn’t seem appropriate. Hopefully there was someone else in the building after I left. For me to be the last one out on the last night of basketball just seems wrong. The new building looks fantastic, however.
The CCIW has two teams in the men’s Sweet 16, the UAA women and NESCAC women have two as well. But I was only at one game last night. You folks were presumably at the others.
I was at the UW-Whitewater regional. On Friday, IWU defeated #17 Carroll 81-68 behind a monster performance by 6-7 junior post player Zach Freeman (29 pts, 10 reb)…
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/03/04/sports/108203.txt
On Saturday the Titans beat #15 UW-Whitewater, the WIAC regular season & conference tournament champion, 85-71 in a game IWU led by 20 at halftime on the homecourt of the Warhawks. IWU’s two All-Americans had big games – point-guard Adam Dauksas had a career high 31 pts (6-9 3-pt) and 6-6 small forward Keelan Amelianovich added 20 (3-5 3-pt)…
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/03/05/sports/108242.txt
Carroll, Whitewater, and IWU are all Sweet 16 caliber teams, but such is the bracket in this part of the country.
IWU will now face #1 Lawrence on their floor Friday at 8:00pm. Augustana vs Puget Sound is the other Sectional semifinal matchup.
Hey, and thanks to the folks at UWW, especially Tom Pattison, who kept us in photos all weekend, one of which we used on the front page Friday night.
Lincoln was much more relaxed Saturday night, having put one tournament win under their belt.
Myrick did a great job like usual but it was the rest of the players (Byard, Hickson, Wylie) who allowed the Lions to dominate Messiah.
Myrick can certainly score, but he sets up his teammates by passing it to them in a way that they can maximize their strengths.
He delivers the ball to the low post players where they need it (occassionally about six inches from the rim for an alley oop) and sets up his shooters.
If IWU plays the rest of the tourney like they did against UWW, no one has a chance to beat them. I’m sure they won’t shoot 68% or whatever in the first half in their remaining games, but they put on a clinic against a usual stout Warhawks’ defense.
I was at the WashU – Carroll game and boy did Carroll hang in tough up to the end.
On the other hand, I did think the refs were bending over backwards to be fair to the visiting team in the first half given that while Carroll wasn’t being called while mugging Bear players under the basket, the Bears were being called for much less. Beehler got a foul for just swiping her arm in front of a Carroll player as she drove in for a layup.
William Paterson has only given up 93 points in two games so far. Granted they weren’t offensive powerhouses but WPU did hold both to more than twenty less than their season average. They are an athletic, well coached defense first team. It appears that Jose has them well prepared and we will see if it continues. It would not shock me to see WPU come out of VA Beach with a trip to the final four. They should be able to win against Widener and I think they will make it hard on either VW or Lincoln.
The other school that I think deserves a little recognition is Farmingdale State. From the game story it sounds like they really gave Lincoln a game. I think the seniors on this years Farmingdale State team are the first class to go through as four year students, they have only been D3 for a few years and to win their conference and win a first round game in their first trip to the NCAA’s ever is a pretty good acomplishment.
Farmingdale started awarding bachelor’s degrees in the 1990s.
I think you mean Farmingdale gave VaWes a game…and they did.
Paterson has looked strong against the two teams they played, but the competition stiffens. Widener will be the best team Paterson has played.
After watching the Fisher vs Norwich game on Saturday, here are my immediate thoughts.
1) Fisher was not going to be denied in the 2nd half of that game. They came out with a focus and intensity that was needed in an NCAA tournament game. Sean O’Brien was a man on a mission. Those three 3’s he hit in a row basically ended any chance Norwich had of winning that game.
2) The refs were not a factor in the game. There were only 7 or 8 total fouls in the first half and I think between 12-15 in the second half (only b/c Norwich needed to stop the clock and put Fisher on the foul line). It was nice to finally watch a game where you didn’t hear a whistle every other play.
one more thing I noticed from the Fisher game on Saturday. Even though the school was on spring break, the gym looked pretty full, well, atleast on the floor level and on the opposite upper level of the scorers table. Good for Fisher to be able to have the gym atleast 60-75% full on Saturday night.
Pat,
Don’t worry, I got to turn out the lights after everyone left on Saturday. It was a very bittersweet moment but I guess it’s time to look forward towards the end of April when the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center opens up at York. However, I am not sure that Saturday’s atmoshpere will be duplicated in the new facility.
Congrats to the Spartans on a great season and good luck to Widener in the tournament.
Naturally, I was at the Bowdoin regional over the weekend.
Congratulations to the Brandeis Judges on getting their first ever victory in the NCAA tournament on Friday, and for giving Bowdoin a tough game on Saturday before bowing out of the tournament.
Kudos to Jessie Graham of Rochester for hitting 9 3 pointers in the second round– thereby not only breaking the Rochester school record and “Palestra” record for most 3’s in a game, but also setting a new NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Tournament record in that category.
Best of luck to Wash U and Rochester in the sectionals.
You are correct I meant VW not Lincoln. Farmingdale has been awarding some four year degrees since the 90’s but they were a junior college for athletics until very recently. I will amend my statement to I think the seniors are the first class to go through completely under a four year program. I could find nothing on the NCAA site about when they became an official member, they are not listed in the all-time team records pages at all. I went by the D3hoops schedule pages. I am figuring that the 03-04 was the first full membership season for them. When I look at NJCU’s schedule for 02-03 Farmingdale is not listed as a regional game, in 03-04 it is. I believe they were provisional until then.
I kinda think that they had to be a four-year school even to enter the four-year provisional period. If this is their third year of eligibility then they should have at least three full classes of four-year students.
But I’m not positive. In the offseason I would have time to look through that kind of thing.
I am not sure, that is why I was posting. Oh well, they are a fairly new D3 program that has done a nice job in a short time.
02-03 was Farmingdales first year with full D3 membership. I found a press release from september of 99 that listed them in the second year of provisional status.