Top Seeds Hold in 2023 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament

The top four seeds all posted victories on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament. Second-seeded DePauw (19-7) will now host the "final four" Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25, at Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers will face third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (16-10) at 7:00 p.m., while the first semifinal on Friday will feature top-seeded Wittenberg (21-4) and fourth-seeded Oberlin (16-10) at 5:00 p.m. The semifinal winners will play in the tournament championship game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in Greencastle.
 
Top-seeded Wittenberg took an early eight-point lead over eighth-seeded Wooster (1-25) after the first quarter and then doubled the advantage entering the half up 40-23. The Tigers did not let up in the third quarter scoring another 22 points, while holding the Fighting Scots to six. The two would then net 14 points apiece in the final frame, as the Tigers claimed the 76-43 quarterfinal victory. Wittenberg saw balanced scoring as a team with four players recording double-digit points. The Tigers were led by Jazmyn Gaines-Burns (Bladensburg, MD/Elizabeth Seton), who netted 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, to go along with six rebounds and three assists, while Evie Wolshire (Lancaster, OH/Fairfield Union) also produced six rebounds, to go along with 13 points, three blocks, one assist and one steal. Taryn Cash (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) tallied 11 points and a game-high five assists, to go along with three rebounds for Wittenberg, while teammate Kelsey Regan (Whitehouse, OH/Anthony Wayne) netted 10 points, dished two assists and grabbed one board. Wooster’s Ella Biondi (Mentor, OH/Mentor) posted the only double-double of the game, producing a game-high 19 points and 16 rebounds, to go along with four blocks and two steals. Teammate Mia Walker (Dacula, GA/Archer) added eight points and Namara Rwakatare (Anaheim, CA/John F. Kennedy) tallied six points and five rebounds. Wittenberg shot 40.5 percent (30-of-74) from the floor, netting 7-of-10 chances from the foul line, while the Fighting Scots posted a 28.3 shooting percentage (17-of-60) from the field and connected on 6-of-10 free throws. On the glass, the Tigers out rebounded Wooster 40-33 and held a 32-26 edge in points in the paint and a 14-9 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Second-seeded DePauw claimed a 71-54 win over seventh-seeded Hiram (9-17) in the quarterfinal round. The Terriers outscored the Tigers in the first quarter, taking a 14-13 lead into the second frame. The Tigers answered back with a 23-point second quarter to go into the locker room up 36-27. Hiram would hold DePauw to 15 points, while scoring 14 of their own in the third frame, but a 20-point push by the Tigers in the final 10 minutes of play would secure the 17-point victory. DePauw’s Ava Hassel (Portsmouth, OH/Notre Dame) poured in a game-high 27 points to go along with six boards, two assists and one steal, while Mya Shannon (Morris, IL/Morris) filled the stat sheet with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. The Tigers also saw double-digit scoring from Diana Burgher (Georgetown, IN/North Harrison), who netted 11 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and earned one block, while Lydia Stullken (Fishers, IN/Fishers) turned in a game-high four blocks, to go along with six points and two rebounds. Brooke Hickman (Mentor, OH/Mentor) and Ava Mory (Garrettsville, OH/Crestwood) were a force on the boards for Hiram, as they gathered a game-high nine boards apiece. Hickman added a team-high 12 points, to go along with three assists, while Mory contributed eight points. Lizzy Scharer (Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian) produced nine points, two rebounds and one assist for the Terriers, while teammate Taylor Valatis (Eastlake, OH/Eastlake North) posted seven points, five rebounds and three assists. The Tigers shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the floor and 92.3 percent (12-of-13) from the charity stripe, while Hiram posted a 32.1 shooting percentage (17-of-53) from the field and connected on 14-of-17 free throws. The Terriers outrebounded DePauw, 35-31, and took the advantage in second-chance points, 13-12, while the Tigers edged out Hiram in points in the paint, 22-20, and in bench points,17-13.
 
Third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan recorded an NCAC quarterfinal victory for the fourth-consecutive time after claiming a 79-51 win over sixth-seeded Kenyon (8-18). The Owls started the game with a 5-0 lead before ending the first quarter on top, 19-18. The Battling Bishops would answer back with 27 points in the second frame to take an 18-point lead into the half, 45-27. Ohio Wesleyan continued its offensive push with a 16-point third quarter and an 18-point fourth, while holding Kenyon to 24 points in the final 20 minutes of play to post the quarterfinal victory. The Battling Bishops would get double-digit scoring from Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg) and Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson). Schipfer lead all scorers with a double-double performance netting 26 points and gathering 11 rebounds, to go along with four steals and one assist, while Homan posted 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Kenyon was led by Katie Orefice (Weston, CT/Weston) and Mikayla Rudolph (Westfield, IN/Westfield-Washington), who each produced double-digit scoring for the Owls. Orefice recorded 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal, while Rudolph tallied 13 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. Kenyon’s Anissa Hardy (Woodland Hills, CA/Marlborough School) was busy on the glass, gathering a team-high six boards. The Bishops connected on 43.7 percent (31-of-71) of their shots and went 11-of-16 from the foul line, while the Owls shot 41.9 percent (18-of-43) from the floor and went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Ohio Wesleyan outrebounded Kenyon 38-28 and edged out the Owls bench in points, 18-10. OWU also held the advantage in points the paint, 42-6, and second chances points, 23-7.
 
Fourth-seeded Oberlin advanced to the NCAC semifinals with a 72-62 win after a tightly contested matchup with fifth-seeded Denison (10-16). The Big Red held a slight 20-17 advantage following the first 10 minutes of play and then went into the locker room up by two, 30-28. Oberlin would bring a much-needed offensive push, outscoring Denison 24-18 in the third quarter to take a 52-48 lead. The Yeowomen held on for the 72-62 win by netting 20 points and allowing the Big Red to score 14 points in the final stanza. Oberlin saw four players net double-figures, led by Gina Lombard (Newton, MA/Beaver Country Day School), who recorded 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Yeowomen Camille Zinaich (Boonsboro, MD/Saint Maria Goretti) would tally the games only double-double, producing 12 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with five assists. Alyson Jefferson (Washington, DC/Benjamin Banneker) and Lily Najmulski (Denver, CO/Denver East) would each post 11 points for Oberlin with Jefferson adding four rebounds, two assists and one block, while Najmulski contributed one board and one assist. Denison was led by Gabby Elliott (Blacklick, OH/St. Francis DeSales), who posted a game-high 18 points, to go along with three steals, two rebounds and two assists. The Big Red would see 18 points out of Abigail Westmeyer (Toledo, OH/Ottawa Hills) and Mikaila Carpenter (Orrville, OH/Orrville), as they each netted nine apiece, while Westmeyer added a team-high seven rebounds. Maddie Goodman (D elaware, OH/Olentagy Berlin) contributed seven points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block for Denison. Oberlin shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field and 9-of-12 from the foul line, while Denison posted a 39.0 shooting percentage (23-of-59) from the floor and connected on 11-of-14 free throws. The Yeowomen capitalized on fast break points,12-4, and bench points, 25-11 while Denison held the advantage in points in the paint, 32-24, and fast-break points, 8-7.

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