It was a wild night of NEC women's semifinal hoops in Connecticut for sure. Top-seeded Quinnipiac, fresh off an 18-0 NEC regular season and easy quarterfinal victory on Sunday, was pushed to the limit by #6 seed Mount St. Mary's, but ended the game on an 8-2 run to survive, 63-56. QU's Jasmine Martin hit a key layup with under two minutes to go and led all players with 22 points. The Bobcats will take on #4 seed Saint Francis U, which upset #2 seed Sacred Heart, 83-67, in Fairfield. The Red Flash jumped out to a 20-point lead just ten minutes into the contest and never looked back, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout. SFU's Rebecca Sparks led the way with 27 points, while All-NEC first teamer Alli Williams finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and six steals.
Quinnipiac will host Saint Francis U in Sunday's title game at 5:00 pm on ESPNU. Be sure to tune in to NEC Front Row Live! presented by Pilot Pen at 4:00 pm for the pre-game show, then come back once a champion is crowned for all the post-game festivities.
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#1 Quinnipiac 63, #6 Mount St. Mary's 56
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Hamden, CT -- Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) matched a career high of 22 points on Wednesday night, as the top-seeded Quinnipiac University women's basketball team punched a ticket to Northeast Conference Championship game with a 63-56 victory over the sixth-seed Mount St. Mary's at the TD Bank Sports Center. Saint Francis University upended Sacred Heart in the other semifinal match-up – setting the stage for the Bobcats and the Red Flash to square off on Sunday, March 17th at 5 p.m. on Lender Court.
Quinnipiac, now winners 21 straight games which is tied for the fifth longest in the nation, also set a new QU women's basketball program record with 29 wins in a season. The Bobcats surpassed the previous record of 28 wins which was set back in the 1983-84 campaign.
Martin was fantastic for the Bobcats, recording 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half of play. She added four rebounds and three steals to a 9-of-19 night from the floor. Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) and Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.) joined Martin in double-figures, with McQuain finishing just shy of a double-double with eight rebounds. Barron added four steals, three assists and two rebounds, Camryn Warner (Keene, N.H.) finished with seven points.
The first half was played at a blistering pace, which seemed to be advantageous for the hosting Bobcats. Quinnipiac mustered an early lead and extended it to seven points after a Samantha Guastella (Red Bank, N.J.) three-ball with 8:33 remaining in the half. However, Mount St. Mary's hung tough and turned its seven-point deficit into a five point lead before half's end. Selina Mann knocked down the stanza's final basket with 1:19 to go – leaving a 34-29 Mountaineer lead at the break.
It matched the largest halftime deficit of the season for the Bobcats and was only the second time that Quinnipiac trailed on its home court at the half. Nonetheless, earning the NEC's top seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs helped Quinnipiac respond from its rare deficit.
Mount St. Mary's extended its lead to eight points with 16:02 showing on the clock; the last Mount basket for the next two minutes of play. Behind seven points from Martin, Quinnipiac scored 10 straight points - which was capped off by another three-pointer from Guastella to regain the lead, 43-41. The Bobcats kept the momentum going with a 10-6 run – granting QU its largest lead of the half, 53-47.
The Mountaineers cut the Bobcat lead to just one point on two separate occasions in the final five minutes, but it was the profound free-throw shooting from Quinnipiac that sealed the deal. The Bobcats went 8-for-8 in the waning minutes; disallowing Mount St. Mary's a chance to regain the lead. With 32 seconds remaining, Gillian Abshire (Washington, D.C.) put the game out of reach for good with a pair from the chalk to solidify a spot in the championship game.
Defense proved to be the difference for Quinnipiac, collecting a turnover margin of plus-nine for the game. The Bobcats turned the ball over 11 times in the first half compared to just one in the second stanza. The Mountaineers coughed the ball up 21 times, which in turn, resulted in 20 points on the other end for the Q. Transition points were also key, as the Bobcats grabbed a 10-2 advantage on the fast-break.
Mount St. Mary's was led by Jacqueline Brewer who finished with 20 points and four rebounds. Tara Lonergan added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Mountaineers, who upset Monmouth in the quarterfinals, conclude their season with a 15-16 record.
Guastella and Abshire each had six points for Quinnipiac. They also combined for 11 rebounds in the win.
#4 Saint Francis U 83, #2 Sacred Heart 67
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Fairfield, CT -- Led by a career-night from freshman Rebecca Sparks (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck), the No. 4 Saint Francis U women's basketball team took down the No. 2 Sacred Heart Pioneers in the Northeast Conference Semifinals, 83-67.
The Red Flash (17-14, 10-8) will make its fourth NEC Finals appearance in the past five years. Sparks finished with 27 points, while Alli Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) added 24 points, 12 rebounds and six steals. Gabrielle Washington recorded 15 points for the Pioneers (22-10, 13-5). SFU never trailed at any point during the game.
"The effort and energy we came out with tonight was just amazing," SFU head coach Joe Haigh said. "Everyone contributed tonight, it was a real team effort."
The Flash jumped out to an 8-1 advantage in the first half, all eight points coming from Williams. The lead extended to 10 at the 15:39 mark after a three-pointer from Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla/Potter's House Christian Academy). SFU later went on a quick 6-0 run, Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) knocked down a three, and then a Kelley Doogan (Claymont, Del./Ursuline Academy) block led to another triple from Rebecca Sparks (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck), forcing a Pioneers timeout with 12:14 to play in the period.
The Flash continued to make shots and click on all cylinders in the first period, they took a 46-26 lead into the locker room. Williams nearly recorded a double-double in the first half, the junior posted 17 points and seven rebounds in the period alone.
In the second half, the Pioneers managed to narrow the margin to just 11 after they went on a 9-0 run with 10:34 to play. Saint Francis proved resilient as they went on a late 8-0 run to fight off any momentum from Sacred Heart.
Saint Francis will look for its 12th NEC Championship as they take on No. 1 Quinnipiac on Sunday, March 17. The game will tip-off at 5 p.m. and be televised on ESPNU.
2013 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
Presented by Ruby Tuesday
Follow the tournament live on Twitter @NECBBT
All games played at home of higher seed
Teams reseeded following quarterfinals
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Click here for 27 Things You Should Know Before Tip-off
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