WBB: Middle Atlantic Conference board archive

[kate]

It was so worth it to go through that storm last night to watch DeSale's knock off a very good Salem State!  Congratulations to the Lady Bull Dogs, Messiah,  and Lebanon Valley - way to represent the MAC ladies!

[old ends]

Kate,  making the trip to TX this weekend.... Live stat time for DeSales this Friday as they go against undefeated Howard Payne.. Harrisburg area seems closer even for me to watch Messiah take on Rochester.

[Gray Fox]

Kate,  making the trip to TX this weekend.... Live stat time for DeSales this Friday as they go against undefeated Howard Payne.. Harrisburg area seems closer even for me to watch Messiah take on Rochester.

I live in Dallas and have been in Brownwood two or three times to D3 watch football.

It will be a culture shock and learning experience, if nothing else.

This is the best thing the town has going other than top tier Texas high school football.  The gym will be packed and noisy. I know a very good Chapman team was dominated there last year.

[kate]

Old Ends, we will probably be watching the DeSales game Friday night with live stats.  Gray Fox, as interesting as you make the town sound (no kidding here), we love out of the way spots, the weather in late winter is always iffy.  How About the MAC?!?  Two teams in the top "16"!  We hardly have to play out of the league to attain that quality of oppositon stat that everyone's always mentioning!   We have watched Messiah play just once years ago at Moravian - they are always dominating - anyway to all who are attending - have FUN, & above ALL -  GO DESALES & GO MESSIAH!  Mighty MAC!!!

[mytwocents]

Messiah and DeSales fans. Where the heck are you. PSST, the MAC has 2 teams in the sweet 16. Has that ever happened before? Good luck to the Falcons and Bulldogs. Messiah by 10 over Rochester and DeSales catches Howard Payne looking ahead (Hope) by 5.  Heck anything is possible as both team are more than capable if they bring their "A" games. I do not usually make predictions, just trying to jump start this board and get some Messiah and DeSales faithfull posting.

[Pat Coleman]

Scranton and Messiah met in the Sweet 16 in 2005.

[mytwocents]

Pat,

Thanks, my subconscious blocked that out.  I was at that game 

[berghoops]

Scranton - Kings met in 2002 either Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

[ronk]

Scranton - Kings met in 2002 either Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

sweet 16 - KIngs won easily after Scranton's Pierangeli broke her foot in the 1st round win against Mcdaniel, missing the 2nd round win over Messiah and the sweet 16 loss to Kings; Kings then lost to Marymount in the Elite 8.

[saratoga]

And then there was the Scranton/Kings Sweet 16 game in 2000 held at St. Lawrence Univ. where the Lady Royals prevailed & then went on to defeat their hosts in the Elite 8 game before heading off to Danbury for another Final Four. Best of luck to both Messiah & Desales this weekend. Safe travels to the Desales group heading out to Texas.

[Gray Fox]

From The Brownwood Bulletin

Back to the Basics
No. 2 Lady Jackets look to crank up defensive pressure against No. 19 DeSales
By Derrick Stuckly �" Brownwood Bulletin
Published: Thursday, March 13, 2008 8:05 AM CDT
Lost in the euphoria of the No. 2 Howard Payne Lady Jackets' run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament is an unwelcomed trend.

The HPU defense �" which has been the backbone of the program during head coach Chris Kielsmeier's eight-year tenure �" has allowed considerably more points during its four postseason games than its regular-season average.

The Lady Jackets led the nation in fewest points allowed in 2006-07 and rank third in Division III this season with 47.1 points surrendered per contest. Over the last four games, however, Howard Payne is giving up 61.8 points per game and no team has scored fewer than 55 points. During 25 regular-season games, only four opponents managed more than 55 points.
Playing McMurry for a third and fourth time, Hardin-Simmons for a third time and Louisiana College for a second time has played a role in the increase in points. Those teams have become more familiar with the Lady Jackets' defense having seen it so frequently. Kielsmeier is counting on an improved defensive performance when Howard Payne (29-0) hosts No. 19 DeSales (26-3) at 7 p.m. Friday at the Brownwood Coliseum.

"A little bit of it is the teams knew us so well and knew where to attack, but we're making too many mistakes," Kielsmeier said. "If we have one player fall asleep, we give up a wide open shot somewhere. Our defense, when it's at its best and is in lockdown mode, is very difficult for teams to score on. But if you make a mistake out of our zone there's a good chance we're going to give up a really easy shot.

"We've done that too much lately and we've addressed that with our players a lot this week. The way this program wins games is reliant on the defense. I want that to get better for Friday night."

Against teams the Lady Jackets faced just once this season, or in the first of multiple games between Howard Payne and its American Southwest Conference foes, the opponents averaged just 39.1 points per game. In the rematches, the Lady Jackets' foes were able to chalk up an average of 52.5 points per contest.

Those statistics do not bode well for the DeSales Lady Bulldogs, who have never faced the Lady Jackets or their 2-3 zone defense.

"The biggest thing that's an advantage for us is any time kids are told they are going against a 2-3 zone, they don't really have an understanding of what our 2-3 zone is all about," Kielsmeier said. "A 2-3 zone can mean so many different things, and a lot of times to players it means they aren't going to be pressured and they're going to get a lot of open looks. That's the exact opposite of our zone. We want constant pressure and we want to cover all looks from the outside."

DeSales has thrived from the perimeter as it enters Friday's game averaging 74.2 points per game and shooting 33 percent from three-point territory. The undersized Lady Bulldogs have just one player on their roster listed over 5-10, and the only two players to average double figures in scoring are both guards.

The Lady Jackets have grown accustomed to facing imposing centers in the ASC West, but the different look DeSales provides won't necessitate a change in Howard Payne's defensive strategy.

"We just have to emphasize to our team how important it is to cover the perimeter and not make mistakes on the perimeter," Kielsmeier said. "You can talk about individuals and who you need to cover on the outside, but then going out and doing it is a whole other story. That's what makes our players so good at executing a game plan. They understand what they're supposed to do, then they go and execute it."

Howard Payne will also look to continue its recent dominance on the glass and deny DeSales many second opportunities at points. The Lady Jackets are in a good position to achieve that goal with a much taller lineup and a string of five straight games in which they've outrebounded their opponents. HPU averaged 43.2 boards and a +12.8 rebound differential in those five contests. DeSales averages 40.4 rebounds per game.

"Defensively, it doesn't matter who you're rebounding against, you need to control second shots," Kielsmeier said. "It could be a large team that matches up well against us or an undersized team. That's something we've been outstanding at this year, and at times it's something we've been weak at. Down the stretch when we've needed it the most, it's been there. I expect us to be outstanding with it again on Friday."

Another key to the Lady Jackets' defense is turnovers, which helps set the table for Howard Payne's 11th-ranked offense (76.8 ppg). The Lady Jackets' 15.4 steals per game rank seventh in the country.

"Steals are very important to our offense and very important in generating points for us," Kielsmeier said. "On the nights where we don't get very much of that it not only effects our defense, but it effects our offense as well. Our kids really understand that and the importance of getting some rips up top in the zone and how that can create a lot of offense for us. That's something we need to be outstanding with on Friday."

[mytwocents]

Messiah 73  Rochester 61

Unbelievable 2nd half 47-29 by the Falcons. Total team effort with Lobach leading the way with 23. Tufts up next.  Good Luck Messiah.

[old ends]

Did not think they would win by that much. Looking at the DeSales score not going well so far.

Good luck to Messiah tomorrow-- Final four lets go

[mytwocents]

Messiah turned it on in the second half both on offense and defense.

Tough game for DeSales playing on the#1 teams home floor. No matter the outcome the Bulldogs had an excellent year and look very strong for next season.

[mytwocents]

Messiah 55 Tuffs 49. Congratulations Falcons. Best of Luck in the Final 4.