| DePauw's sweet run continued
past Christopher Newport and onto Holland. DePauw athletics file photo |
In Saturday's regional finals, DePauw defeated Christopher Newport 76-55 to keep its perfect season and national championship dreams on track.
DePauw (32-0) seized control of the game midway through the first half when Ellie Pearson converted a layup to cap a 6-0 run that put the Tigers up 11. Christopher Newport (29-3) couldn't get closer than 8 points the rest of the way. DePauw shot 52 percent from the field led by Pearson and Savannah Trees who both scored 21 points.
DePauw will make its third trip to the national semifinals. The Tigers won the 2007 national championship and finished third in 2002. DePauw is the sixth undefeated team to reach the Final Four since 2007.
Williams (23-6) will make its first Final Four appearance after beating Whitman 63-53. The Ephs blocked 20 shots and held the Missionairies without a field goal until midway through the first half. Whitman (26-5) fought back within seven points but Williams' Danny Ranier hit a baseline jumper to stem the tide and the Ephs held on.
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Unbeaten teams in Final Four since 2007 |
Ranier finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. Claire Baecher flirted with a triple-double, posting seven points, nine rebounds and nine blocks. Sarah Anderegg led Whitman with 18 points.
Amherst clinched its fifth straight trip the Final Four by beating Widener 59-45. Amherst never trailed and held the Pride to 24 percent shooting (15-for-63). Bridget Crowly paced the Lord Jeffs with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Lil Carney had 12 points for Widener.
In a rematch from the regular season, UW-Whitewater flipped the script on Hope and beat the Flying Dutch 65-60. Back in December Hope built a huge first half lead at home and held off the Warhawks 63-52. This time UW-Whitewater hosted and built a 17-4 lead to start the game. With less than three minutes left, Liz Ellis hit two free throws to pull Hope (29-2) within two. But Megan Theune found Mary Merg for a crushing three-pointer and the Warhawks hung on for the victory.
"We're excited; they delivered." said Warhawk coach Kerri Carollo. "They were maybe outmatched in a couple of positions, but they believed in each other."
UW-Whitewater (24-6) is going to the Final Four for the second time in school history with a third place finish in 2008. Hope's loss means New York University remains the last team to win a national championship on its home floor back in 1997 before the Final Four was scheduled at predetermined sites.