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Falcons
Advance to NCAA Semifinal With Gritty, 67-55 Win |
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Mar. 23) – Amy Taylor and Brittney Kroon combined for 23 second-half points and several clutch plays to lead Seattle Pacific University into the NCAA Division II women’s basketball semifinal stage with a 67-55 victory over Michigan’s Grand Valley State Wednesday afternoon at the Summit Arena.
Taylor (Sr., Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) paced the No. 3-ranked Falcons (29-2) with 15 points while Kroon (Jr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) had 12 plus five blocked shots and eight rebounds. SPU will meet No. 7 Merrimack (Ma.) Thursday at 4 p.m. Pacific time for a berth in Saturday’s national championship game. Merrimack defeated St. Cloud State (Mn.) 79-78 in the first quarterfinal game. “It was a great win for our program,” said coach Gordy Presnell, whose teams have lost their opening Elite Eight games in 1998 and last year. “We’ve been here three times, and it’s fun to be able to stay an extra day.” In perhaps the most impressive defense performance of the season, Seattle Pacific held Grand Valley State (28-6) to a season-low 31 percent shooting from the field. Kroon snuffed four shots in the second half and altered many others as the Falcons led virtually the entire contest. Offensively, Kroon established herself early in the second half, converting four times inside during the first 6 minutes, 18 seconds. Her layup from a feed by Mandy Wood put Seattle Pacific in front 49-36. The Lakers got no closer than six the rest of the way. Taylor effectively controlled the ball, finished two strong drives and hit four free throws in the final 81 seconds to deny any rally. Michelle Beaumont (Sr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) helped ignite the offense with three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Carli Smith (Jr., Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds–11 in the second half–as SPU controlled the boards, 46-35. “Grand Valley did a great job of defending us,” said Presnell. “It was as aggressive and physical of a defense as we’ve faced.” “In the first 15 minutes, I thought our second team was outstanding, and actually out-played our first team,” he added. It was a 12-3 run from the second unit which put SPU in command midway through the first half. Trisha Hermanson (Sr., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) came off the bench for nine first-half points, including four during the spree, which resulted in an 18-10 lead. The reserves outscored the starting five 18-13 in the first period, after which the Falcons led 31-24. “We had some people come off our bench and step up,” said Taylor. “Coach told the starters at halftime that we owed him a good half.” Seattle Pacific shot only 40 percent (22-55), but was 17-22 at the foul line while Grand Valley missed nine of 21 attempts. Niki Reams,the Lakers’ All-American and a transfer from Michigan, led all players with 25 points, but her four fellow starters shot just 8-32. Thursday’s game will be televised live on ESPN-U, a DIRECTV channel. Audio will be streamed live via broadcastmonsters.com. SEATTLE PACIFIC 67, GRAND VALLEY STATE 55 Halftime-SPU 31, GVSU 24. 3-point goals-GVSU 5-17 (Reams, Niki 3-5; Guastella, Janine 1-4; Ryskamp, Erika 1-6; Zick, Crystal 0-2), SPU 6-19 (Beaumont,Michelle 3-6; Hermanson,Trisha 1-1; Taylor,Amy 1-7; Wood,Mandy 1-5). Fouled out--Grand Valley State-Ryskamp, Erika. Rebounds-GVSU 35 (Reams, Niki 5; Guastella, Janine 5; Zick, Crystal 5), SPU 46 (Smith,Carli 12). Assists-GVSU 11 (Zick, Crystal 4), SPU18 (Taylor,Amy 4). Total fouls-GVSU 19, SPU 15. A-982 |
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