WORCESTER, Mass. – Powered by a 32-12 fourth quarter, the Assumption University women's basketball team pulled away from Dominican University of New York for a 71-49 win in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament First Round in Laska Gymnasium Friday evening.
THE BASICS
Score: Assumption University 71, Dominican (NY) 49
Records: Greyhounds (25-5, 16-4 NE10), Chargers (21-8, 12-6 CACC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Assumption came out cold to start the contest, turning the ball over and letting Dominican into the contest too quickly. The Chargers stormed out to a 9-0 lead early, forcing a quick timeout from Head Coach
Kerry Phayre.
Marina Callahan got the energy back from the timeout with a quick bucket plus the foul, followed by more Assumption buckets to eventually take a 14-12 lead as the quarter closed, closing on a 14-3 run since the timeout. Teagen Curran got off the bench early with a three with 42 seconds left.
The Greyhounds carried the first quarter momentum into the second, with back-to-back buckets from
Monica Spain giving them a slight six-point edge. Dominican would not bow down to the top seed, as Chidinma Ndukauba scored through contact and made the free throw to make it a one-possession game at 22-19 with 2:24 left in half. The only other offense in half would be a
Ja'Lyn Armstrong layup, giving Assumption a five-point lead at halftime.
The visitors' third quarter was the strongest, outscoring Assumption 18-15. The home side emerged with a slight run that made the game almost seem out of hand, up 32-23 at 6:44 following a
Marina Callahan three-pointer. However, Dominican once again would keep it interesting, crawling back and going on a 14-10 run to only be trailing by two when the quarter ended with a score of 14-10. Tanasha Mills led the way for the Chargers with seven in that stretch.
In the fourth quarter, the Greyhounds showed why they are the #1 seed. They ultimately pulled away from the visitors, as the Chargers were only held to 12 points in the entire period, while Assumption poured in 32.
Molly Stokes dumped in 16 fourth points to set a new career high of 26 on the night. Assumption only missed four shots in the fourth, and Dominican only made three. Ultimately, it was a lopsided victory for the Greyhounds, and they advanced 71-49 with their first NCAA victory since 2011.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Molly Stokes established a new career-high with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
- Marina Callahan has a solid outing, registering 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Teagan Curran chipped in ten points off the bench.
- Assumption controlled the glass, as they outrebounded Dominican 46-35 while outscoring the visitors 36-18 in the paint.
- This was the first time in program history that the AU women's basketball team had hosted an NCAA Playoff game, and just the fourth win, with the last one coming in 2011.
UP NEXT
- Assumption vs. Bentley, Saturday, March 11, 7:30 pm – NCAA Division II Second Round
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