Ohio Wesleyan 73, Allegheny 65

Feb. 28, 2009

Sophomore wing Tyler Cordell (Columbus/St. Francis DeSales) and senior post Katie Hamilton (Hilliard/Darby) sparked second-half runs that helped Ohio Wesleyan build double-digit leads, and the Bishops went on to defeat Allegheny in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday in Granville.

With the win, Ohio Wesleyan takes the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. The NCAA Division III playoff appearance is Ohio Wesleyan's first since 2002, when the Battling Bishops advanced to the sectional semifinals, or "Sweet 16." This will be the Bishops' sixth NCAA Division III playoff appearance. The NCAA Division III tournament bracket is scheduled to be released on Monday.

Ohio Wesleyan broke a 2-2 tie with a jumper and a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Pam Quigney (Mentor), kicking off a 17-7 run that also included a 3-point play from Hamilton, a jumper and a 3-pointer by Cordell, and a pair of buckets from the line by freshman post Dany Finck (Hilliard/Darby).

The Gators rallied with baskets by Stephanie Wolf and Lauren Donahoe, and when Jill Gregory knocked down a 3-pointer, Allegheny had closed the gap to 23-22 with 7:14 left in the first half, then tied the game when Laura Magnelli hit the second of 2 free throws with 6:34 to play in the period.

Baskets by Finck and sophomore post Kayla Gordon (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) put the Bishops ahead once more, and a score by sophomore post Kaylie Titus (East Hampton, N.Y.) gave Ohio Wesleyan a 29-24 lead, but Allegheny battled back once more, coming back to tie the game at 33-33 after Allegheny's Hilary Collins hit a 3-pointer late in the half.

Hamilton responded with a jumper from the lane, giving Ohio Wesleyan a 35-33 lead at halftime.

The Bishops opened the second half by picking right up where they left off, getting a steal and lay-in by Cordell, a pair of Hamilton free throws, and a Cordell jumper from the lane to stretch the margin to 41-33.

Quigney's fast-break pullup jumper extended the Ohio Wesleyan lead to 49-39 with 13:21 left, and after Wolf scored for Allegheny, a Hamilton jumper and a Quigney lay-in gave the Bishops a 53-41 edge with 11:27 left in regulation time.

Wolf followed with a steal and lay-in for Allegheny, but the Bishops countered with a pair of free throws by freshman wing Lea Mackenbach (St. Marys/Memorial) after she was fouled on a third-chance offensive rebound.

Answering each Allegheny threat would be the pattern established by the Bishops during the remainder of the contest. Perhaps the Bishops' biggest response came after a stretch in which the Gators held the Bishops without a basket for nearly 2 minutes, and Allegheny's Jill Gregory hit a 3-pointer that brought the Gators within 58-50 with 7:30 to play.

Gordon countered Gregory's 3-pointer with one of her own on Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession, pushing the lead back into double figures.

Allegheny put together one more rally, getting another Collins 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 65-57 with 4:02 to play, and then holding the Bishops scoreless for the next 2 minutes. The Ohio Wesleyan defense, however, was equal to the task, holding Allegheny off the scoreboard as well, and when Quigney found Hamilton for a lay-in, then scored off a Cordell feed, Ohio Wesleyan had pushed its lead to 69-57 with 1:35 to play.

A pair of Quigney free throws with :53 left gave the Bishops their biggest lead of the game at 71-57, and free throws by Hamilton and Cordell in the final seconds helped seal the outcome.

Hamilton led the Bishops with 18 points, going 8-for-9 from the line.

Cordell finished with 16 points and a game-high 7 assists, Quigney scored 15 points, and Gordon and junior wing Rachel Seibel (Johnstown/Johnstown-Monroe) shared the team lead with 8 rebounds apiece. Finck finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Wolf and Gregory shared the Allegheny lead with 18 points apiece, with Wolf collecting team bests of 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Cordell was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Hamilton and Quigney, along with Wolf from Allegheny, Carolyn Simpson from Denison, and Kathleen Williams from Kenyon.

Box Score