WBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Allegheny 78, Oberlin 61...Allegheny used a very balanced attack to prevail in a rough-and-tumble game at Oberlin.  After building an early 12-2 lead, the first half momentum surged back and forth until the Gators settled for an 11-point lead at the break.  Allegheny maintained their double-digit advantage throughout the second half, with the lead reaching 20 at one point.  The Gators, who shot 50% or better in each half, had five scorers in double figures, led by Jill Gregory's 18.  Laura Magnelli chipped in 14 on a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, including three triples.  Oberlin stalwart Alyssa Clark led all scorers with 25, and also notched six rebounds, five steals, and four assists in her 39 minutes.  There were 29 personal fouls called, and perhaps 29 others that went uncalled as the action under the rims was physical all evening.

Standings:
Denison 13-0 / 15-6
Kenyon 9-4 / 10-11
Allegheny 8-5 / 12-10
Ohio Wesleyan 7-5 / 11-10
Wittenberg 7-6 / 12-9
Wooster 5-7 / 7-14
Hiram 4-8 / 6-15
Oberlin 3-10 / 5-17
Earlham 1-12 / 2-19

Wednesday's games:
Kenyon at Denison
Wittenberg at OWU
Wooster at Hiram
Earlham is idle

[David Collinge]

The NCAC Tournament field is all but set.  By my reckoning, the only way Earlham can avoid finishing in 9th place is if the following two things happen:
a) Earlham wins their final three games (@ Kenyon, vs. Denison, @ Wooster), AND
b1) Oberlin loses their final three games (Hiram, @ OWU, Wittenberg) OR
b2) Hiram loses their final four games (Wooster, @ Oberlin, Kenyon, OWU) AND Oberlin beats either OWU or Witt (or both)

If a) and b1) were to occur, Earlham would finish 4-12 and Oberlin 3-13.  That's necessary because Oberlin holds the tie-breaker, having swept the Quakers.
If a) and b2) were to occur, both Earlham and Hiram would finish 4-12, while Oberlin would be 5-11 or 6-10.  Earlham, which split with Hiram, would win the tie-breaker by virtue of having beaten Denison, a necessary condition for this scenario to occur.  Oberlin needs that extra win to avoid a three-way tie at 4-12, a tie that would disfavor the Quakers on the basis of head-to-head records.  In that scenario, Oberlin (3-1 in head to head matchups) would be 7th, Hiram (2-2) would be 8th, and Earlham (1-3) ninth.

The chances of any of these pro-Earlham scenarios coming true are fairly remote, so Hiram and Oberlin should be fairly comfortable at this point.  The other six teams (from Denison to Wooster) have already earned tickets to the tournament, with Denison as the #1 seed and the others still jockeying for position.

[David Collinge]

Denison 70, Kenyon 45...The battle between the NCAC's top two teams wasn't a battle at all, as the league champs cruise to the home victory.  The Big Red shot just 31% in the first half, but held their guests to a lowly 22% in grabbing a 7-point halftime lead.  After the break, it was all Big Red, as they connected on 47% of their attempts while the Ladies stayed ice cold at 29%.  Carolyn Simpson had another huge evening, recording 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting, grabbing 16 rebounds, blocking six shots, and notching four assists and three steals.  At the other end, frosh Morgan Korinek and Suzanne Kahle led the Ladies with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while scoring leader Kathleen Williams was held to just two points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Ohio Wesleyan 64, Wittenberg 53...In a first half that featured just two referees, OWU took full advantage in racing out to a 16-point halftime edge.  Slapping, bumping, and flopping at every opportunity, the Bishops harried the Tigers into 16 first-half turnovers that turned into 22 OWU points, while conceding just 3 turnovers (resulting in no points) themselves.  With the full compliment of referees in the second half, Wittenberg's play improved, drawing to within four points inside the final 2:00, but the Tigers couldn't complete the comeback.  OWU had four scorers in double figures, led by the twin 15-point efforts of Pam Quigney and Katie Hamilton.  Witt, which had a +10 rebounding advantage, got a double-double from Stephanie Boardman (13 points, 11 boards).  Katherine Hueter contributed a game-high 14 rebounds, but only recorded six points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Wooster 67, Hiram 55...Hiram scored the first five points of the game, but quickly thereafter found themselves trailing 10-5 and then 19-9.  The Terriers righted the ship long enough to close within a point at 19-18, but the Scots closed the half on a 17-5 run to take command of the game.  Wooster stretched their lead out to 22 at the 6:58 mark of the second half.  A 15 point Hiram run over the next 5+ minutes made things mildly interesting, but at that point the well ran dry and Wooster was able to hang on for the road victory.  The Scots shot 43.5% for the game and made six of their eight three-point attempts, while holding Hiram to 35% overall and 19% from the arc.  Hiram committed just nine turnovers, but the resourceful Scots turned those into 19 points, while surrendering just 9 Hiram points on their 13 turnovers.  Kym Wenz was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line in notching a game-best 25 points, while Kaitlin Krister was one carom short of a double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds.  Hiram's Ashley Drum made seven of her 11 shots and led the Terriers with 16 points.

Standings:
Denison 14-0 / 16-6
Kenyon 9-5 / 10-12
Allegheny 8-5 / 12-10
Ohio Wesleyan 8-5 / 12-10
Wittenberg 7-7 / 12-10
Wooster 6-7 / 8-14
Hiram 4-9 / 6-16
Oberlin 3-10 / 5-17
Earlham 1-12 / 2-19

Saturday's games:
Earlham at Kenyon
OWU at Allegheny
Wooster at Wittenberg
Hiram at Oberlin
Denison is idle

[David Collinge]

Let's take a quick look at some potential tie-breakers.

Two-way ties:
1] Kenyon (9-5) vs. Allegheny (8-5):  The Gators swept the Ladies this season.
2] Kenyon vs. OWU (8-5): The Ladies swept the Bishops this season.
3] Allegheny vs. OWU: OWU won the first game, so they earn the tie-breaker with a win Satuday.  If 'Gheny wins the rematch on Saturday, it will depend on where this pairing finishes in the standings.  If they are tied for second, or for third behind Kenyon, the Gators have the tie-breaker, chiefly by virtue of their common results vs. Kenyon.  After that, it gets a bit complicated, and may depend on Allegheny's results vs. Wooster (Wed.) and Denison, but it seems to me that 'Gheny prevails in most scenarios.
4] Kenyon vs. Wittenberg (7-7): Kenyon swept Witt.
5] Allegheny vs. Wittenberg: I can't find a scenario that favors Witt, although I suppose one is possible that I haven't cooked up.
6] OWU vs. Wittenberg: The only way Witt wins this tie-breaker is if a) OWU loses their upcoming games to both Allegheny and Hiram, and b) Hiram finishes ahead of Wooster in the standings. 
7] Wooster (6-7) vs. Wittenberg: If Wooster beats Witt on Saturday, they claim the tie-breaker.  If not, I think the only scenario that leans Wooster's way is if these teams finish tied for 3rd behind Kenyon.
8] Wooster vs. OWU:  OWU by virtue of a season sweep.
9] Wooster vs. Allegheny: If Allegheny wins next Weds., they sweep.  If not, their superior result vs. Kenyon will surely claim the tie-breaker.
10] Wooster vs. Kenyon: Wooster needs to win out for this to happen, which implies a victory over Allegheny.  That really complicates matters.  If these two finish in third behind 'Gheny, Wooster wins the tie-breaker.  If they finish in third behind OWU, Kenyon wins the tie-break.  If they finish tied for second, Wooster wins if 'Gheny is alone in 4th place, while Kenyon wins all other conceivable scenarios. (corrected from earlier post)
11] Wooster vs. Hiram (4-9): Wooster swept the Terriers.
12] Wittenberg vs. Hiram: The Tigers also swept Hiram.
13] Hiram vs. Oberlin (3-10): The Terriers won the first game, and can claim the sweep on Satuday.  If not, they still earn the tie-breaker by having one more win vs. teams higher in the standings than the Yeowomen will have.  (Hiram swept 'Gheny, while Oberlin beat Wooster one time.)  Each team has two games remaining with teams that will finish ahead of them, which won't impact this tiebreaker.

[David Collinge]

Continuing:

Three-way ties:
1] Kenyon, OWU, and Allegheny: If 'Gheny beats the Bishops on Saturday, the order of finish would be Allegheny, Kenyon, OWU.  If OWU prevails Saturday, it will depend on whether Wittenberg or Wooster finishes higher in the standings.  If it is Witt, then the order is Kenyon, OWU, Allegheny; if it is Wooster, it would be 'Gheny, Kenyon, OWU.
2] Kenyon, OWU, and Wittenberg: Kenyon wins the tie-breaker, and OWU and Witt would then be decided as above.
3] Allegheny, Kenyon, and Wittenberg: in that order, based on head-to-head results.
4] OWU, Wittenberg, and Allegheny: If OWU wins Saturday, this tie would fall out as listed.  If the Gators win, they earn the tie-breaker based on common results vs. Kenyon (and Denison), with the resulting OWU/Witt tie broken as above.
5] Allegheny, Kenyon, and Wooster: Allegheny wins this tie.  If the Gators beat Wooster on Weds., the order of finish is as shown; otherwise the Scots edge in ahead of the Ladies.
6] Kenyon, OWU, and Wooster: as shown.
7] Allegheny, OWU, and Wooster: a real mess, since 'Gheny still has a game remaining with each of these teams.  I think Wooster finishes third in every possible scenario, but otherwise I'll abstain on this one.
8] Kenyon, Wooster, and Wittenberg:  Witt will get the lowest seed of this threesome in all scenarios.  If Witt beats Wooster on Saturday, Kenyon wins the tie-breaker, with the order as shown.  If Wooster wins that game, Witt gets seeded third among the group, and the Kenyon/Wooster tie-breaker is decided as above.
9] Allegheny, Wooster, and Wittenberg: another mess, since Wooster has games remaining with each.  Abstain.
10] OWU, Wooster, and Wittenberg: OWU wins this tie-breaker, and the winner of Saturday's Woo/Witt game finishes second.

[whew!]

I hope that's substantially correct.  I think I'll take a pass on the potential four-way and five-way ties.

[David Collinge]

Results from THINK PINK weekend:
(I wanted to do the whole post in PINK, but you can see from this that it would be illegible.)

Kenyon 67, Earlham 44...Kenyon stays a half-game ahead of hard-charging Allegheny, while Earlham is officially eliminated from tournament contention.  The Ladies took control of this game early on, racing out to a sixteen-point halftime lead, then coasted home for the victory as the whole roster saw action.  Kenyon's defense held Earlham to 32% shooting and forced 25 Quaker turnovers, including 18 steals.  Laurel Stokes had a good afternoon, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while adding a team-best nine rebounds.  Kathleen Williams added 15 points and four steals to the tally.  Earlham's Tasha Merrill was held to 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
Allegheny 59, OWU 51...The Gators win their fourth straight game to move into sole possession of third place, a full game ahead of the Bishops.  The first half was a back-and-forth affair with five lead changes and six ties; the Gators took a two-point edge into the locker room behind Emilie Simone's 11 points.  OWU went briefly back in front early in the second half, but a 13-0 Gator run over the next five minutes, with contributions from five different AC scorers, gave the hosts a lead that was never again less than seven points.  For the game, Allegheny shot 42% while holding their guests to 30% shooting--this despite OWU's 24 offensive rebounds.  Allegheny only played eight women, but four of them scored at least 10 points, led by Simone's 15.  Stephanie Wolf recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.  For OWU, Tyler Cordell had 14 points, and Katie Hamilton added a double-double (10/10), but leading scorer Pam Quigney was held to just 5 points on a un-Quigney-like 2-for-10 afternoon.
Wittenberg 69, Wooster 54...Avenging a defeat from two weeks ago, Wittenberg came out on fire, hitting nine of their first 14 shots and building a 15 point lead before ten minutes were gone.  Despite making five three-pointers in the second half, the Scots were unable to get any closer than a 7-point deficit the rest of the way, after which the Tigers added the exclamation point, closing the game on an 8-0 run.  After hitting at a 56% clip in the first half, Witt settled for 46% shooting for the afternoon, while holding Wooster to just 37% overall and just 31% inside the arc.  Wittenberg also dominated the paint, outscoring the Scots 34-10, and forced 22 Wooster turnovers (11 steals) which they converted into 23 points.  Stephanie Boardman led the Tiger attack with 17 points, while Rachel Dixon added 14 points and 9 rebounds.  Katherine Heuter (6) and Carrie Dyer (5) combined for 11 of Witt's 17 assists on just 23 baskets.  Wooster got 14 points from Meredith Wilson, who was 4-of-7 from the arc, but both Kym Wenz (12 points) and Kaitlin Krister (6 points, 4 rebounds) were held well below their averages.  Wenz did contribute five assists, and frosh Keshia Butler had six, giving Wooster 13 assists on their 19 hoops. 
Hiram 78, Oberlin 58...Hiram shut down Oberlin in the first half, then outscored the Yeowomen in a high-flying second half to earn the season sweep and pull within a game of sixth-place Wooster.  The Terriers held their hosts to just 18 first-half points on 21% shooting, and opened up a 14 point halftime lead.  After the half, the Terriers hit a scorching 52% of their field goals, including four of seven from long range, while Oberlin committed 19 personal fouls, leading to 18 more Terrier points from the stripe.  Oberlin improved their shooting to 32% and rang up 40 second-half points, but could get no closer than nine points before falling back.  Hiram had four in double figures, led by Jess Cowan's 20 points, while Oberlin's Alyssa Clark led all scorers with 26 points on just nine of 24 shooting.  Cowan also contributed seven of Hiram's 14 assists on their 21 baskets.

Standings:
Denison 14-0 / 16-6
Kenyon 10-5 / 11-12
Allegheny 9-5 / 13-10
Ohio Wesleyan 8-6 / 12-11
Wittenberg 8-7 / 13-10
Wooster 6-8 / 8-15
Hiram 5-9 / 7-16
Oberlin 3-11 / 5-18
Earlham 1-13 / 2-20

This week's games:
Monday: Capital at Wittenberg
Wednesday:
Denison at Earlham
Kenyon at Hiram
Allegheny at Wooster
Oberlin at OWU
Wittenberg is idle

[David Collinge]

Congratulations to Hiram's Ashley Drum, named today as the NCAC Player of the Week for the second time in the past four weeks.  The junior post totaled 30 points on 61% shooting as Hiram split games with Wooster and Oberlin.  Congratulations, Ashley!

[David Collinge]

Capital 61, Wittenberg 53...Same story, different day for the Tigers, who fell behind early and trailed by as many as 19 in the second half, before embarking on a furious comeback to make a game of it.  Three times in the last 90 seconds the Tigers got within two possessions, but Capital hit six late free throws to hold off their hosts and secure career victory #500 for head coach Dixie Jeffers.  Capital, the OAC frontrunners, forced 23 Tiger turnovers and held Witt to 33% shooting.  Witt had been hitting at just a 26% clip en route to that 19-point deficit with 7:24 remaining, but then hit seven of their last 12 field goal attempts, five of them from long range, to give the Crusaders quite a scare.  Capital, which shot 44% on the evening, was led by Caitlin Elsass' 19 points on 8-for 13 shooting.  Wittenberg outrebounded their guests by a 42-30 margin and grabbed 17 offensive boards, but only had 12 second-chance points (to Capital's eight).  The Tigers had a balanced scoring effort with four players scoring eight or nine points but nobody in double figures; Stephanie Boardman's nine points and seven rebounds were both team-leading totals. 

[David Collinge]

Denison 69, Earlham 46...When #1 meets #9 this late in the season, things like this happen.  By the time the first half came to a merciful end, the scoreboard read Denison 44 Eearlham 14.  The Quakers could only manage five baskets in the first half (17%); Denison had more than that from beyond the arc.  Playing mostly with reserves (Ellen O'Brien was the only DU player with more than 21 minutes of action), Denison was outscored 32-25 in the second half, but still coasted home with their 14th consecutive victory.  Caitlin Graessle led the victors with 13 points in just 16 minutes, while Carolyn Simpson contributed 10 points and nine of DU's 49 rebounds.  Tasha Merrill was EC's top scorer with 13 points.
Kenyon 51, Hiram 45...Kenyon clinched no worse than a tie for second place by prevailing in a see-saw battle at Hiram.  Trailing by 4 with 7:07 left, the Ladies went on a 10-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to grab a four-point lead of their own, then converted four of five free throws--with the miss converted into a putback bucket by Kathleen Williams--to hold off the homestanding Terriers.  Kenyon first-year Elana Carlson nailed four of five second-half treys for a game-high 15 points, a total matched by Hiram's Ashley Drum, who also contributed seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive glass.  Kenyon, the conference's top defensive team in terms of points and FG%, held the Terriers to 33% shooting and just 18% from beyond the arc, while winning the rebounding battle 38-32. 
Allegheny 61, Wooster 53...Allegheny held off a late Wooster rally to record their fifth straight win and keep pace with Kenyon in the race for second place.  Leading by just two at the half, the visiting Gators opened up a 14-point lead with just under eight minutes remaining.  Wooster responded with an 11-2 run, cutting the margin to five with 2:49 left, but the Scots were unable to cut the deficit any further as the Gators hit four of six free throws and a pair of layups to secure the win.  Emilie Simone had 17 points to lead the balanced Gator attack, augmented by Stephanie Wolf's double-double (10 pts., 10 reb.) and three other players with eight points or better.  Wooster got 19 from Kym Wenz, the conference's leading scorer, a huge 16 point, 13 rebound game from Kaitlin Krister, and ten points from Taylor Keegan, but the rest of the roster could only manage a collective eight points on 3-for-22 shooting.  Despite the loss, Wooster clinched at least a share of 6th place and the #6 seed in the conference tournament, by virtue of Hiram's loss to Kenyon.
OWU 87, Oberlin 67...The Bishops chinched no worse than a share of 4th place by cruising past the Yeowomen at Branch Rickey Arena.  Oberlin scored the game's first four points, but OWU answered with 40 of their own over the next 15 minutes, opening up a 16 point lead that fell back to 13 at the half.  The Bishops opened the second half on a 9-2 run, and although Oberlin responded with a 7-0 run of their own, the Yeowomen never again got the deficit under 12 points.  Oberlin shot 42% from the field and actually made two more baskets than their opponents, but were victimized by 10 OWU treys (in 29 attempts, 34.5%) and a blistering 25-of-26 performance by the Bishops at the free throw line.  OWU got huge games from Katie Hamilton (21 points, 9 rebounds), Kayla Gordon (17 pts., 10 reb.), and Tyler Cordell (18 pts., 8 reb., and 9 assists).  Syrea Thomas led three Yeowomen in double figures with 17 pts., but leading scorer Alyssa Clark, who ranks third in the NCAC at 16.2 ppg in conference action, was held scoreless, although she did contribute six assists. 

Standings:
Denison 15-0 / 17-6
Kenyon 11-5 / 12-12
Allegheny 10-5 / 14-10
Ohio Wesleyan 9-6 / 13-11
Wittenberg 8-7 / 14-10
Wooster 6-9 / 8-16
Hiram 5-10 / 7-17
Oberlin 3-12 / 5-19
Earlham 1-14 / 2-21

Saturday's games:
Denison at Allegheny
OWU at Hiram
Wittenberg at Oberlin
Earlham at Wooster
Kenyon is idle
END REGULAR SEASON

[David Collinge]

Seeding update:

#1: Denison, who will host Oberlin in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
#2/#3:  If Allegheny defeats Denison on Saturday, they will be the #2 seed and host Hiram.  Otherwise Kenyon is #2 and AC is #3, set to host Wooster.
#4/#5:  OWU is #4 if any of the following Saturday results come true: 1) OWU defeats Hiram; 2) Oberlin defeats Wittenberg; or 3) Wooster defeats Earlham.  If all of those results break Wittenberg's way, I confess I'm not certain what would happen.  OWU and Witt split their games, and have the same composite record vs. the teams ahead of them in the standings.  The third tie-breaker is to compare results against the next-best finisher.  In this scenario, that would be Wooster and Hiram in a tie for 6th, with the tie-breaker favoring Wooster.  Now, what I'm not sure of is whether Wooster and Hiram would be considered as a tandem (because they'd be tied) or individually, starting with Wooster, who has a tie-breaker advantage over Hiram.  If it is the latter, OWU wins the tie-breaker, having swept Wooster while Witt split with the Scots.  If it is the former, both Witt and OWU had a composite 3-1 record vs. Wooster and Hiram, and the process would continue.  In that case it would continue undecided right through the standings, resulting in a coin toss to determine seeding.  (If anyone knows the answer for sure, please shoot me a PM or an email at dacollinge [at] yahoo [dot] com.)  In any case, these two teams will meet in the first round of the tournament, and it's very likely if not certain that the game will be at OWU.
#6: Wooster, who swept Hiram and would thus own the tie-breaker with the Terriers if necessary.
#7: Hiram
#8: Oberlin
Earlham has failed to qualify for the tournament.

[David Collinge]

Today's scores:
Denison 78, Allegheny 64...Denison got double-doubles from seniors Katie St. Clair (16/11) and Carolyn Simpson (12/10) and finish out the regular season in style as the undefeated NCAC champions.  The Big Red also got double-figure scoring from seniors Ellen O'Brien (14) and Caitlin Graessle (12) as well as sophomore and team leading scorer Shaina Kaiser (11).  Denison hit better than 50% (15/29) in opening a 13-point halftime lead, then held the Gators to just 31% shooting in the second half, maintaining an advantage of at least 8 points throughout the half.  Two of Allegheny's seniors also scored in double figures, getting 13 points and 8 rebounds from Stephanie Wolf and 12 points from Hilary Collins.  With the loss, which snapped a 5-game winning streak, Allegheny slips to third in the final standings and will host sixth-place Wooster in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
OWU 64, Hiram 55...OWU used a huge first half to take control of the game and move into a third-place tie in the final conference standings.  The Bishops scored 20 of the game's first 25 points, and after Hiram closed to within 9, ended the half on a seven-point run to lead 36-20.  Hiram hit 8 of 13 three point attempts in the second half, including three apiece from first-year Tiffany Shields and junion Pamela Spencer, but could get no closer than the final margin of nine points.  The Terriers won the rebounding battle 46-39, but were held to just 32% shooting, turning the ball over 21 times.  Senior post Katie Hamilton, who has been the Bishops' MVP down the stretch, led the way with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists, with sophomores Pam Quigney and Tyler Cordell pitching in a dozen points apiece.  Spencer led the Terriers with a career-best 18 points, all on three-pointers.  Today would have been Senior Day at Hiram, but the Terriers have no seniors on the roster.
Wittenberg 91, Oberlin 50...The Tigers spoiled Senior Day for Oberlin's four seniors, overwhelming the Yeowomen at Philips Gym this afternoon.  After a back and forth first four minutes, the Tigers seized control with a 13-0 run, propelling them to a 15-point halftime edge.  In the second half, the Yeowomen were again able to hang with their guests for about four minutes, but thereafter it was all Wittenberg, who used a 22-5 run to establish a 33-point lead just inside the 10:00 mark and then coasted home with the lopsided victory.  The Tigers destroyed their hosts on the boards, recording a 60-32 rebounding advantage that held Oberlin to just five second-chance points.  The Tigers were also more opportunistic, scoring 23 points off 14 OC turnovers (while surrendering just two points from their own 13 TOs) and recording 22 assists led by Katherine Hueter's 7.  Wittenberg shot 45% and connected on eight of 15 three-pointers, while their defense limited Oberlin to 27% shooting overall and 28% from the arc.  Stephanie Boardman led the Tigers with 19 points, while Oberlin got a game-best 16 points from senior Kira Rivera. 
Earlham 63, Wooster 55...In a game that only Leonard Pinth-Garnell could appreciate, last-place finisher Earlham ended their season on a winning note, besting the sixth-place Scots at Timken Gym.  After a first half in which the teams combined to shoot just 18 for 63 (29%) and ended with Earlham holding a four-point lead, the Quakers came out and played with confidence, scoring thirteen consecutive points to establish a 14-point lead with just five minutes gone in the second half.  Earlham maintained a mid-teens lead until Wooster finally came to life in the last six minutes, but the visitors connected on just enough free throws down the stretch to hold the Scots at bay.  Free throw shooting was the difference in the game, as Wooster actually made more field goals than their opponents but were outscored by a 20-6 margin from the stripe.  First-year Nikki Darrett led the way with 17 points, hitting nine of 12 free throws, and also contributed 12 rebounds.  Junior Katy Buda drained five treys for 15 points.  First-year Sarah Abboud hit four big treys down the stretch for a team-high 12 points.  Kaitlin Krister grabbed 10 rebounds but was held scoreless by Tasha Merrill's defense until the final 3:26, settling for four points.  NCAC scoring champion Kym Wenz was held to 11 points on 3/16 shooting, but did manage to score her 1,000th career point in the first half. 

Final Standings:
1. Denison 16-0 (18-6)
2. Kenyon 11-5 (12-12)
3. (tie) Allegheny 10-6 (14-11)
3. (tie) Ohio Wesleyan 10-6 (14-11)
5. Wittenberg 9-7 (15-10)
6. Wooster 6-10 (8-17)
7. Hiram 5-11 (7-18)
8. Oberlin 3-13 (5-20)
9. Earlham 2-14 (3-21)

Allegheny and OWU split their season series.  Allegheny earns the #3 seed by virtue of the second tie-breaker: "Combined win-loss record with all teams above tied teams."  Allegheny's record vs. Denison and Kenyon was 2-2; OWU's was 0-4.

Tuesday's Quarterfinal pairings, sites, and tip times:
Oberlin at Denison 7:30pm
Hiram at Kenyon 7:30pm
Wooster at Allegheny 7:30pm
Wittenberg at Ohio Wesleyan 6:00pm (followed by the men's quarterfinal between OWU and Allegheny)

note: this is the first time since joining the NCAC in 1989-90 that Wittenberg has not hosted a quarterfinal matchup

[David Collinge]

Here's a comparison of the coaches' and media polls, my predictions, and the actual results:

Team	Actual	Coaches	Media	Me
Denison	1	1	1	1
Kenyon	2	4	4	5
Allegheny	3	5	5	3
OWU	3	3	3	4
Wittenberg	5	2	2	2
Wooster	6	6	6	6
Hiram	7	7	8	9
Oberlin	8	8	7	7
Earlham	9	9	9	8

We all sold short on Kenyon and held Wittenberg too long.  I claim some credit for picking Allegheny to finish 3rd, but I missed the boat on Hiram.

[David Collinge]

The final conference-only stats are posted at northcoast.org:

Scoring: Wooster's Kym Wenz was the scoring champion, averaging 19.3 ppg to easily outdistance Wittenberg's Stephanie Boardman (16.4) and Oberlin's Alyssa Clark (14.7). 

Rebounding:  Carolyn Simpson of league champion Denison was the top glass cleaner with 9.4 rpg, edging out OWU's Katie Hamilton (9.2) and Oberlin's Alyssa Clark (8.8.)  Hamilton was far and away the leading offensive rebounder at 3.9 rpg, well ahead of Wittenberg's Stephanie Boardman 3.4.  Simpson (6.38) and Clark (6.25) topped the defensive rebounding charts.

Assists:  Denison's Ellen O'Brien and OWU's Tyler Cordell each recorded 76 assists for an average of 4.75 per game.  Hiram's Kelsey Durichko was a distant third at 3.44.

Steals:  Syrea Thomas of Oberlin led the way in this category with 2.56 steals per game.  Allegheny's Stephanie Wolf (2.43) was second, followed by Oberlin's Alyssa Clark and OWU's Tyler Cordell at 2.31.

FG%:  Hiram's Ashley Drun connected at a rate of .529 to become the league's top shooter.  Denison's Shaina Kaiser (.516) and Wittenberg's Stephanie Boardman (.515) also made better than half their shots in conference play.

FT%:  Pam Quigney of OWU missed just three of her 40 attempts (.925) to lead the league in this category.  Wooster's Kym Wenz, with more than twice as many attempts, was second at .848, while Denison's Shaina Kaiser was third at .846.

3PFG%:  Denison's Shaina Kaiser was the only long-range shooter to make better than half of her attempts, hitting 25 of 46 attempts (.543).  Teammate Katie St. Clair (.488) and OWU's Kayla Gordon (.459) followed Kaiser in the standings.  Gordon made 39 treys, the most in the NCAC, with Wooster's Kym Wenz (29) and Gordon's teammate Pam Quigney (27) rounding out the top three.

A/TO:  Ellen O'Brien, who ranks second nationally in this category, dominated the NCAC with a ratio of 5.85 assists for each of her 13 turnovers.  Wooster's Keshia Butler was a distant second at 1.72, with Hiram's Kelsey Durichko third at 1.49.

Blocked shots:  Oberlin's January Baker was far and away the top shot blocker, recording 36 blocks in her 14 conference games (2.57).  Denison's Carolyn Simpson (1.88) was second, with Baker's teammate Fran Holoman (1.50) third.

Minutes played:  Oberlin's Alyssa Clark averaged better than 35 minutes per conference game to lead this category.  She edged Earlham's Tasha Merrill (34.50) and Allegheny's Stephanie Wolf (34.07) for the Ironwoman crown.

Congratulations all around!

[David Collinge]

Voting by the coaches on the year-end awards begins on Monday, and this year I do not envy them the task.  Last year I found this to be a relatively easy task, but this year it is maddeningly difficult.  Just as an example of how tough this is, the player I had penciled in as Player of the Year last week at this time I don't even have on the first team anymore, through no fault of her own.  I think there's at least eight players for whom I can make compelling cases as POY, with none really standing out from the rest.  The same is true for the Newcomer of the Year category, which is further complicated by the presence of a couple of upperclass transfers among the field of frosh.  I've looked at the stats every which way, and factored in such intangibles I think are relevant, and here's what I've reluctantly come up with.

All-Conference Selections:
First Team (listed alphabetically):
Stephanie Boardman, junior post, Wittenberg
Alyssa Clark, senior guard, Oberlin
Kayla Gordon, sophomore post, Ohio Wesleyan
Katie Hamilton, senior post, Ohio Wesleyan
Ellen O'Brien, senior guard, Denison
Carolyn Simpson, senior post, Denison
Kym Wenz, junior guard, Wooster

Second Team (listed alphabetically):
Tyler Cordell, sophomore wing, Ohio Wesleyan
Shaina Kaiser, sophomore wing, Denison
Kaitlin Krister, junior center, Wooster
Pam Quigney, sophomore guard, Ohio Wesleyan
Emilie Simone, junior forward/center, Allegheny
Kathleen Williams, sophomore post, Kenyon
Stephanie Wolf, senior guard/forward, Allegheny

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically):
Ashley Drum, junior forward, Hiram
Carrie Dyer, junior wing, Wittenberg
Jill Gregory, sophomore guard, Allegheny
Tasha Merrill, senior forward, Earlham
Laurel Stokes, junior guard, Kenyon

Player of the Year:  As I say above, I could make the case for any of my first-team selections, and one or two of my second-teamers as well.  Boardman, Clark, and Wenz are great all-around players who were absolutely indispensable to their team's success this year.  Simpson is nearly unstoppable in the post.  Gordon may be the best all-around player in the conference, and Hamilton was probably the best player down the stretch.  But by the slightest of margins, I'm going with Denison's Ellen O'Brien, who I see as the most important reason Denison was able to dominate the NCAC this season.  Her achievements don't necessarily show up in the stats, but she's the catalyst on both the offense and defense, leading the loop in assists and assist/turnover ratio (she had an insane 13 turnovers in 16 conference games), while ranking fifth in steals.  She averaged only 7.4 points per game, but with nearly five assists per game added in, she was responsible for something in the neighborhood of 20 points in the average contest.  Rather than relying on one or two stars, Denison was able to spread the ball around, play the hot hand, and take advantage of defensive mismatches all season, and Ellen's rock-steady play at the point made that possible. 

Newcomer of the Year:  Again, there's lots of candidates here.  Caitlin Graessle at Denison and Lauren Donahoe at Allegheny transferred in as upperclasswomen and made immediate and significant impacts on their teams.  Hiram's Kelsey Durichko and Wooster's Keshia Butler were among the league leaders in assists (3rd and 5th, respectively) and A/TO (3rd and 2nd), helping to stabilize their offenses.  Kenyon's Suzanne Kahle provided instant offense from the arc as well as tenacious defense for the Ladies.  None of the newcomers, however, had a bigger impact than Earlham's Nikki Darrett.  The 5'6" Darrett ended up among the conference leaders in four statistical categories: scoring (12.9, 10th), rebounding (5.5, 16th), FG% (.767, 8th), and steals (2.0, 8th), indicative of a solid all-around game.  She also took some of the defensive pressure off of Tasha Merrill and played some outstanding defense herself.  Overall, she ranked 2nd on her team in scoring, rebounding, three-pointers, and assists, and led the team in steals and free throws made.

Coach of the Year:  Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan each graduated six seniors last season, with seven of those 12 earning all-conference recognition, and yet both teams were right in the thick of things again this season, finishing 2nd and 3rd.  These performances are a testament to the outstanding coaching of Suzanne Helfant and Nan Carney DeBord.  But how on earth do you go against the team that finished 16-0, even if they were the prohibitive favorites?  I know I can't.  No matter how good your players are, it takes an outstanding coaching effort to rack up a perfect conference record, and that's what Denison got out of Sara Lee this season. 

So that's what I've come up with.  There's lots of other players that deserve recognition that I couldn't squeeze in, and I feel bad about that.  But I'd be happy to go to war with any twelve of these 20 players (including Darrett), with Coach Lee leading the way.  And I feel good about that.

[ECHOOPER]

David,
How do you have Tasha Merrill as a Honorable Mention player?  She is fourth in the conference in scoring, top 15 in rebounds, 11th in field goal percentage, and 6th in free throws.  Some of the players that you have on the second team are behind Merrill in those categories.