|
| Baruch is going to the NCAA
Tournament for the seventh consecutive year and will try to advance
past the first round for the second time in that
span. Baruch athletics file photo |
Iyana Abrams scored 15 and Sheridan Taylor added 13 points as Baruch punched its return ticket to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Hunter 70-54 in the championship game of the CUNYAC tournament.
The Bearcats broke the game open in the second half, extending a 34-33 lead with a 19-5 run that put things out of reach for Hunter. Baruch (21-7) is in the tournament for the seventh consecutive year, having last won an NCAA Tournament game in 2009.
Montclair State returns to the NCAA Tournament, surviving a would-be buzzer beater attempt from William Paterson and defeating the Pioneers 67-64. The Red Hawks survived the final two minutes without star Melissa Tobie, who fouled out.
Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the CCIW final, as Lexi Baltes led four Titans in double figures with 19 points in a 79-66 win vs. Wheaton (Ill). The Titans await top-seeded Carthage, which got 37 points and 10 rebounds from Michelle Wenzel to rally past Elmhurst 82-73. Elmhurst led 71-69 with 3:41 left before the Lady Reds finished with 13 of the final 15 points.
No. 1 seed St. Norbert and third-seeded Monmouth will meet for the Midwest Conference automatic bid on Saturday. The host Green Knights defeated Carroll 69-54 behind 18 points from Heidi Van Sistine, while the Scots had 19 from Jacquie Cooper to top Cornell 88-80.
Haverford led wire-to-wire against Gettysburg and advanced to the Centennial Conference final for the first time ever with a 61-49 win. The Fords will face Johns Hopkins which defeated McDaniel 66-55. The Blue Jays swept the regular season series with Haverford.
Stevens edged Hartwick 53-52 in the Empire 8 semifinals. The Hawks didn't score a field goal for the final four minutes of the game, but had two free throws to tie the game with one second left and missed both. The Ducks advance to play tournament host Ithaca, which held off St. John Fisher 73-69.
DePauw clobbered Kenyon 88-60 in the NCAC semifinals, but the Tigers won't have a chance to avenge last Saturday's loss to Ohio Wesleyan. The Battling Bishops were eliminated by Denison in the early game, 67-57.
Cassie Cygan scored 35 points and became the all-time scoring leader at La Roche, as the Lady Redhawks advanced past Pitt-Bradford, 80-67.
The Great South Athletic Conference finally got its far-flung members together, with the seven converging on Trinity (D.C.) for the conference tournament. Finlandia, which had a 17-hour bus ride from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, fell to the home-standing Tigers 68-67 when the Lions missed a free throw that would have tied the game with a second left. Pine Manor rolled over Wesleyan (Ga.) and Maine-Presque Isle defeated Agnes Scott. Salem, which is 19-4 and has been idle since Feb. 9, got a first-round bye and faces UMPI on Saturday in the semifinals.