2020 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament  Champions

DEPAUW

2020 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals:		Semifinals:		Championship:
Tuesday, February 25 (at higher seeds)		Friday, February 28 (at #1 DePauw)		Saturday, February 29 (at #1 DePauw)
#1 DePauw 89, #8 Hiram 48 {Boxscore}		#1 DePauw 62, #4 Ohio Wesleyan 38 {Boxscore}		#1 DePauw 66, #2 Denison 47 {Boxscore}
#2 Denison 63, #7 Kenyon 43 {Boxscore}		#2 Denison 60, #3 Wittenberg 52 {Boxscore}
#3 Wittenberg 46, #6 Oberlin 36 {Boxscore}
#4 Ohio Wesleyan 78, #5 Allegheny 60 {Boxscore}
Bracket -- Stats -- Tickets  -- Directions  --  Merchandise --  NCAC Tournament Records

FINALS: 

Top-seeded DePauw (27-1) captured its seventh NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament title after defeating second-seeded Denison (19-9) by a 66-47 margin on Saturday afternoon at DePauw University's Neal Fieldhouse. As tournament champions, the Tigers have earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which will open with first and second round games next weekend on campus sites.

To start the game, the two teams traded baskets before DePauw went on a 7-0 run producing a 9-2 advantage three minutes in and ended the quarter up 17-12. The Big Red would cut the lead to one three times in the second frame, but were unable to gain the advantage and went into the locker room down 33-27. DePauw would hold onto its lead throughout the final 20 minutes. The Tigers held an advantage in rebounding, 49-28, points in the paint, 36-20, and shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the field, while Denison's reserves netted 17 points compared to the Tiger's bench scoring eight.

After tallying 28 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and one assist in the championship game DePauw senior Sydney Kopp (Burr Ridge, IL/Hinsdale South) collected the Nan Nichols Award as the tournament's most valuable player. In the three tournament games combined, Kopp scored 76 points, gathered 24 boards, earned 10 steals and dished seven assists. Joining Kopp on the 2020 NCAC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team were junior teammate Claire Keefe (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville), along with Denison senior Alison Schafer (Columbia Station, OH/Columbia), Big Red junior Zyah Beal (Florence, KY/Boone County), Ohio Wesleyan senior Nicole Popovich (Rocky River, OH/Rocky River) and Wittenberg senior Korynne Berner (Urbana, OH/Northwestern). 

2020 NCAC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team

Nicole Popovich, Ohio Wesleyan

Korynne Berner, Wittenberg

Zyah Beal, Denison

Alison Schafer, Denison

Claire Keefe, DePauw 

Tournament MVP (Nan Nichols Award) - Sydney Kopp, DePauw

SEMIFINALS:

The finals are set for the 2020 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament with DePauw and Denison to meet for the title on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at DePauw University's Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers will be playing in the championship game for the seventh time in program history, while the Big Red will be playing in the title game for the 13th time.

Top-seeded DePauw advanced into the title game after defeating fourth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan, 62-38, in Friday's first semifinal contest. Ohio Wesleyan led the first quarter, 17-9, thanks to eight points from Claire Sterling (West Jefferson, OH/West Jefferson). Sydney Kopp (Burr Ridge, IL/Hinsdale South) would then net seven points of her own in the second quarter to help pull the Tigers closer, but the Battling Bishops took a 28-26 lead into the locker room. DePauw held OWU to just four points in the third, while netting 14 points to go up 40-32 heading into the final stanza and then outscored the Bishops 22-6 in the fourth for the win.

The Tigers were led by Kopp who tallied a game-high 18 points, to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Hayley Cange (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep) chipped in 10 points, six boards, one assist and one steal for DePauw, while Claire Keefe (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) and Campbell Montgomery (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep) gathered eight rebounds apiece. Montgomery also added six points and Keefe netted five. Ohio Wesleyan was led by Sterling, who posted nine points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Meghann Dunning (Mentor, OH/Lake Catholic) added eight points, four rebounds and one assist for the Bishops, while Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg) pulled in a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points and one assist.

In the second semifinal game on Friday night, second-seeded Denison secured its spot in the NCAC Tournament title game for the second-consecutive season with a 60-52 victory over third-seeded Wittenberg. The Big Red held a 15-10 advantage after the first quarter, thanks to six points from Lauren Turner (Dayton, OH/Oakwood) and four points apiece from Aliyah Hunter (Kansas City, MO/University Academy Charter) and Lauren Longbrake (Groveport, OH/Hamilton Twp.). The Tigers then took over the lead, 29-22, heading into the locker room after holding Denison to just seven points in the second frame and putting up 19 of their own, led by Korynne Berner (Urbana, OH/Northwestern), who netted 10 points. The Big Red would manage 14 points, nine of which came from Lauren Hofer (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty), but Wittenberg netted 15 in the third frame. Down 44-36 after 30 minutes of action, the Big Red would hold Wittenberg to just eight points and net 24 of their own in the final frame to earn the come-from-behind win, thanks in part to a 10-point fourth-quarter performance from Zyah Beal (Florence, KY/Boone County).

Denison was led by three players who scored in double figures. Beal posted 13 points and four rebounds, while Hofer added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Alison Schafer (Columbia Station, OH/Columbia) recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal. Wittenberg also had three players score in double figures and was led by Berner's game-high 16 points. She also posted seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. Kristie Kalis (Winnetka, IL/New Trier Township) added 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and one assist, while Delaney Williams (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) added a game-high nine rebounds, to go along with 11 points, six assists and two steals for Wittenberg.

QUARTERFINALS:

The top four seeds all posted victories on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2020 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament. As a result, top-seeded DePauw (25-1) will host the "final four" Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-29, at Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers will face fourth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (14-12) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, while the second semifinal on Friday will feature second-seeded Denison (18-8) and third-seeded Wittenberg (19-7) at 7:00 p.m. The semifinal winners will play in the tournament championship game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in Greencastle.

The top-seeded Tigers shot 50.7 percent (34-for-67) from the floor en route to an 89-48 victory over eighth-seeded Hiram (7-19). DePauw was led by senior Sydney Kopp (Burr Ridge, IL/Hinsdale South), who was one of four Tigers that scored in double figures. Kopp posted a game-high 30 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, to go along with three rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was a total team effort for DePauw as 11 different Tigers scored including six reserves that outscored the Hiram bench, 29-7. Junior Claire Keefe (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) and sophomores Grace Kinsey (Hawthorn Woods, IL/Lake Zurich) and Mya Shannon (Morris, IL/Morris) contributed double-digit points for DePauw, while sophomore Maeve Summerville (Lake Bluff, IL/Lake Forest) grabbed nine boards for the home team. The Terriers were led by Madison Branch (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) and Tashauna Wright (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights), as Branch recorded 16 points, three steals, two assists and one rebound, while Wright added 15 points, two steals and one assist. The Tigers held Hiram to a 33.9 shooting percentage (19-of-56), doubled them up on the glass, 48-24, and claimed a 42-22 edge on points in the paint. 

Second-seeded Denison claimed a 63-43 win over seventh-seeded Kenyon (10-16). Seniors Lauren Hofer (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) and Lauren Longbrake (Groveport, OH/Hamilton Twp.) led the Big Red with 10 points apiece, while Hofer added four rebounds, two steals and one block, and Longbrake contributed seven boards, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Junior Zyah Beal (Florence, KY/Boone County) and senior Alison Schafer (Columbia Station, OH/Columbia) chipped in with eight points each for the victors. Kenyon senior Paige Matijasich (Pickerington, OH/Pickerington North) led all scorers with 13 points, to go along with seven rebounds and five assists, while junior teammate Ellie Schaub (Cincinnati, OH/Indian Hill) added nine points and five rebounds. Sophomore Amanda Carroll (Southborough, MA/Algonquin Regional) collected six boards for the Ladies. Denison's bench outscored Kenyon's 31-12, while the Big Red also held an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points and posted a 32-14 edge in points in the paint. On the glass, Denison outrebounded the Ladies 41-30.

Third-seeded Wittenberg advanced to the NCAC semifinals for the third-straight season with a 46-36 victory over sixth-seeded Oberlin (9-17). The Tigers held an 8-4 advantage following the first 10 minutes of play, while entering the locker room with a three-point lead at the half, 19-16. Wittenberg then extended its lead by scoring 14 points and holding the Yeowomen to two points in the third quarter to go up 33-18. Oberlin poured in 18 points in the final stanza, but it was not enough as the Tigers held on for the first-round victory. Wittenberg held a slight advantage in rebounds (38-35) and steals (10-6), while the Yeowomen led in assists (8-4), blocks (6-1) and points in the paint (22-20). The Oberlin reserves outscored the Tigers 14-2, while Wittenberg capitalized on fast break points, 13-2. Senior Korynne Berner (Urbana, OH/Northwestern) scored a game-high 14 points to go along with nine rebounds and two steals for the Tigers, while senior teammate Riley Culver (Wapakoneta, OH/Wapakoneta) posted the only double-double of the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Oberlin was led by senior Cheyenne Arthur (Atlanta, GA/Woodward Academy), who posted eight points, three assists and one steal, while sophomore Sammy Spanier (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough), and seniors Mackenzie Michaels (Skillman, NJ/Rutgers Prep) and Jasmine Sorrells (San Francisco, CA/French American International) each netted six points apiece.

Fourth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan recorded an NCAC quarterfinal victory for the second-consecutive season after claiming a 78-60 win over fifth-seeded Allegheny (11-15). Four of the Battling Bishops scored in double figures and were led by senior Nicole Popovich (Rocky River, OH/Rocky River), who netted a game-high 22 points, to go along with five rebounds and one assist. Sophomore Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg) just missed out on a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds for OWU. The Gators also saw four players recorded double-digit scoring, while Allegheny junior Julianna Skowron (Sewickley, PA/Oakland Catholic) posted the only double-double of the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Zoe Youdell (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville Area) scored a team-high 16 points for the visitors, while also corralling five boards and blocking one shot in her first NCAC Tournament appearance. The Bishops connected on 50.8 percent (31-of-61) of their shots and went 12-for-14 from the foul line, while Allegheny shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the floor. Both teams shot well in the paint with OWU holding a slight 48-44 advantage. The Bishops also outrebounded the Gators 39-31 and edged out the Allegheny bench in points, 15-6.

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SEEDINGS & PAIRINGS:

DePauw will be the top seed in the 2020 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins with quarterfinal games on campus sites on Tuesday evening. Tournament seeding follows the final regular-season standings with the top four seeds hosting quarterfinal contests. The tie between Denison (11-5) and Wittenberg (11-5) for second and the tie between Kenyon (6-10) and Oberlin (6-10) for sixth were both broken via the conference tiebreaker system for seeding purposes only.

DePauw captured its eighth NCAC women's basketball title in the last nine years after finishing the 2019-20 regular season with an unblemished 16-0 record against league foes. Wittenberg leads all conference teams with 12 NCAC championships, sharing the crown with Ohio Wesleyan in 1999 and '92. DePauw is next with eight titles, while Allegheny has six, winning five-straight from 1985-89. The Gators shared the NCAC's first championship in 1985 with Wooster. Additionally, Allegheny and Ohio Wesleyan tied for first in 2001. The Battling Bishops own five titles, followed by Denison (4), Kenyon (3) and Wooster (2).

Quarterfinal round games will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with the No. 1 seeded DePauw Tigers hosting eighth-seeded Hiram (4-12) at 6:00 p.m. and second-seeded Denison hosting seventh-seeded Kenyon at 7:30 p.m. In the other quarterfinal games, third-seeded Wittenberg will play host to sixth-seeded Oberlin at 6:00 p.m., and fourth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (8-8) entertains fifth-seeded Allegheny (7-9) at 7:00 p.m. The quarterfinal games at DePauw and Wittenberg will be part of a doubleheader with the men, who will follow the women with 8:00 p.m. starts.

Tuesday's winners will advance to the semifinals and championship on Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Feb. 29, at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the quarterfinal round. Semifinal games will be held at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Friday with the host institution selecting its preferred time slot. The championship game is set for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. 

In the event that one institution hosts both the men's and women's "final four," the women's semifinals will be played on Thursday, Feb. 27, and the men's semifinals will be played on Friday. The championship games would then be played on Saturday with the women playing at 3:00 p.m. and the men at 7:00 p.m. In this scenario, the gym will be cleared in between games and separate tickets will be required for each contest.

This year's tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins with first-round play on March 6th and 7th.

TOURNEY TALK: DePauw is the defending NCAC Tournament Champion after defeating Denison 61-50 in the 2019 tournament final to claim the Tigers sixth title ... DePauw along with Wittenberg (8), Denison (7), Ohio Wesleyan (5) and Allegheny (5) have combined to win 31-of-35 women's tournament titles, while Kenyon (2), Oberlin (1) and Wooster (1) account for the four other tournament titles ...  No. 3 seeded Wittenberg leads all conference teams with 16 appearances in the championship game, while Ohio Wesleyan is close behind with 14. Denison has 12 NCAC finals appearances and Allegheny has reached the finals ten times. Kenyon and DePauw have six title game appearances, while Wooster has four and Oberlin has one ... As the two seed, Denison has now qualified for the tournament 35 out of the 36 seasons … No. 4 Ohio Wesleyan, which last won the tourney title in 2009 with a 73-65 win over Allegheny, has made the NCAC Tournament for the 35th time out of 36 seasons … Fifth-seeded Allegheny has earned its highest seed in the tournament since earning the number four seed in the 2016 season … Oberlin, which won the tourney title in 2018 with a 71-39 victory over Wittenberg, enters the tournament as the sixth seed … Kenyon, the No. 7 seed, looks to advance to the semifinals for the 25th season and return to the championship final … Hiram enters the NCAC Tournament for the sixth-consecutive year, looking to advance past the quarterfinal round for the first time in program history ... DePauw, entering its ninth NCAC Tournament, carries a 20-2 record in tournament action and the league's highest winning percentage at .909, while Wittenberg is second in tournament play with a .685 winning percentage (48-22). Ohio Wesleyan has gone 45-29 in the tournament (.608), followed by Denison at 39-27 (.591) and Allegheny at 30-29 (.508).