Jazmyn Washington and Smith powered past Bowdoin in the NCA Tournament for the second season in a row. Photo by Steve LaBonte, d3photography.com

Smith ousted unbeaten Bowdoin from the Tournament for the second season in a row while UW-Oshkosh dominated the clash of the Titans in Bloomington. Elsewhere, Scranton rallied to victory, Gettysburg gritted through another round, and Baldwin Wallace edged Ohio Wesleyan in the Division III women's basketball sectional semifinals.

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Playing in front of a sold-out crowd in Morrell Gymnasium, No. 8 Smith defeated Bowdoin, 53-47, ousting  the top-seeded Polar Bears from the Tournament for the second consecutive season`      `           .

After a low-scoring first half, Smith seized control thanks to sophomore guard Hannah Martin’s hot shooting in the third quarter. Martin went 5 for 5 from the field and added two free throws, and the Pioneers outscored Bowdoin 18-8 in that period, taking a 38-30 lead into the fourth quarter. The Polar Bears pulled within five at 40-35 on Sydney Jones’ jumper but Jane Loo answered with a three for Smith. Bowdoin got back within five in the closing minute, but the Pioneers made enough free throws to ice the victory.

Martin finished with 16 points, all in the second half, while Loo added 12 points and six rebounds for Smith (29-2). The Pioneers also outrebounded Bowdoin, 44-33, with Jazmyn Washington pulling down 10 rebounds for Smith in 37 minutes. Jones finished her stellar career with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks for Bowdoin (29-1).

Smith advances to the Elite 8 for the third consecutive season.

“Every year we set a standard at the beginning of the season. We have our banners and we’re like, ‘This is what we’re fighting for,’” explained Martin after the game. “Every game is important but what we really focus on is the end of the season. We focus on March.”

Smith will face No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus on a neutral court on Saturday night because the Golden Gusties pulled away from McMurry, 71-58.

Gustavus Adolphus led throughout but could not separate from the Warhawks until the fourth quarter when Gusties guard Emma Kniefel started and ended a 9-2 run with layups. Kniefel also fed Rachel Kawiecki for an open layup that put the Gusties in front, 59-48.

Kawiecki posted a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) while Kniefel scored 20 points in a full 40 minutes for Gustavus Adolphus (29-1), which advanced to the Round of 8 for the first time in program history.

“We’ve never been here. The elation of these six seniors, they’ve been part of our program playing since they’ve been freshman,” said Gustavus head coach Laurie Trow Kelly. “’I just don’t want this dance to end,’ I keep saying. I just enjoy everyday I get to be with them.”

No. 11 UW-Oshkosh stifled No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan’s high-octane offense and rolled past the green-clad Titans, 63-43. Oshkosh scored the first seven points of the game, held Illinois Wesleyan to one field goal in the first quarter and led 18-5 after one period. The gold-clad Titans put the game out of reach with an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter that gave Oshkosh a 21-point advantage.

Oshkosh (25-4) had four players score double figures and Vaile just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. UWO also took care of the ball against Illinois Wesleyan’s press, committing just 11 turnovers. Illinois Wesleyan (28-2) turned the ball over 17 times and finished 16 points below its previous low score for the season.

Next up for UW-Oshkosh is No. 7 Baldwin Wallace which won a dramatic Battle of Ohio over No. 17 Ohio Wesleyan, 68-65.

Macy Miller gave Ohio Wesleyan a 63-59 lead with 1:35 to play with her 10^th field goal, but Bella Vaillant immediately responded for Baldwin Wallace, scoring a layup that cut the Battling Bishops lead in half. After an empty OWU possession, Maddie Ebbert grabbed the rebound for the Yellow Jackets, got fouled, and tied the game with two free throws. OWU All-American Kasey Schipfer sank a jumper that put the Battling Bishops back in front by two but Baldwin Wallace called timeout and got the ball to Caely Ressler who hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds left. The Battling Bishops turned over the ball on their final possession, and Emily Irwin capped the scoring with two more free throws for BW.

Vaillant finished one rebound shy of a double-double (15 points, nine rebounds) for Baldwin Wallace which advances to the finals for the first time since 2006. Miller and Schipfer combined for 36 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio Wesleyan (25-4).

The two Pennsylvania-based hosts advanced through Friday night’s home games in different ways.

After scoring just 31 points in the first three quarters, No. 3 Scranton erupted for 21 points in the fourth and rallied past Johns Hopkins, 52-46. The Lady Royals scored the first six points of the final period, taking a 37-34 lead on Kyra Quigley's layup. Maddie Hartnett extended Scranton's lead to seven and then Quigley's layup pushed it to nine with less than three minutes left. Kaci Kranson scored four of her 11 points in the final minute, icing Scranton's win. 

Kranson, Quigley and Hartnett combined for 35 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocks for Scranton (29-1). Macie Feldman paced Johns Hopkins (24-5) with 13 points.

Scranton will face No. 22 UW-Stout which advanced to its first sectional final every by beating No. 16 UW-Whitewater for the third time this season, this time by a score of 62-56. Raegan Sorenson led the way with 25 points and 13 rebounds for Stout which made up for its struggles from three (3 for 17) by shooting 85 percent from the foul line (17 for 20). Anna Mutch continued her strong Tournament play with 19 points for the Blue Devils (22-7). All-American Kacie Carollo tallied 23 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for Whitewater (24-7).

Further south, short-handed No. 10 Gettysburg gritted past No. 14 Randolph-Macon, 56-49, as Jameson Mott scored 17 points and Shinya Lee posted eight points and 14 rebounds for the Bullets. Gettysburg took the lead on back-to-back layups by Kimberly Hopkins at the end of the first quarter and never relinquished it. Randolph-Macon (29-2) hung tough and pulled within five on Marisa Ziegler's jumper with 54 seconds but AB Holsinger scored her 11th and 12th points from the foul line to wrap the Bullets' victory.

Gettysburg (28-2) advanced to its first sectional final despite playing without leading scorer Alayna Arnolie who was injured in the Bullets' first-round victory over Stevens. 

Next up is defending national champions and top-ranked New York University.

After a close first half, the Violets caught fire from behind the arc in the second half and topped SUNY Geneseo, 74-53, for their 59th consecutive win. SUNY Geneseo guard Mackenzie Reigle kept the Knights close with 11 points in the first half, and SUNY Geneseo trailed by just two at the half. But the second half was a different story as the Violets hit 7 of their 11 three-point attempts. NYU All-American Natalie Bruns hit three triples on her way to 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks, while Brooke Batchelor also notched a double-double for the Violets (28-0). Reigle finished with 22 points and five assists for SUNY Geneseo (24-7).