MARCH 8, 2003
BOB ZIADIE
KING'S ADVANCES TO SWEET 16 WITH 82-67 WIN OVER
PITT-GREENSBURG
WILKES-BARRE -- Jen Wozniak scored a game-high 22
points and added 10 rebounds and Carissa Ryan netted a season-high 19
points to power the seventh-ranked King's College women's basketball team
to a 82-67 victory over Pitt-Greensburg in the second round of the NCAA
Division III National Tournament Saturday in Scandlon Gymnasium.
With the win, the Lady Monarchs improved to 24-3 and
advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16" for the second straight year and
the third time in the past four seasons. Pitt-Greensburg ended its season
with a 23-7 mark.
King's would jump out to an early 12-6 lead keyed by
four points from Wozniak and a three-pointer by Tiffini Varrasse.
Pitt-Greensburg would answer with a 5-0 spurt and cut the score to 12-11
when Jess Porter scores a bucket, then hit a three-pointer with 14:26 left
in the half. After King's took a 15-11 lead on a three-pointer by Ryan,
Erin Arnold would score consecutive baskets for Pitt-Greensburg to knot
the score at 15-15 with 13:28 remaining in the opening frame.
The Lady Monarchs would then go on a 35-7 run ,
keyed by a pair of three-pointers by Jennie Orelli, five points from Ryan,
and a three-pointer from Nikki Kingston to extend the lead to 40-22 with
1:53 remaining. But the Bobcats countered with a 9-2 spurt on a bucket and
three-pointer from Porter, and a pair of baskets by Annie Sral to close to
within 41-31 at the break.
In the second half, King's would maintain a
comfortable lead throughout and eventually build its biggest advantage at
61-39 with 9:06 remaining on a basket by Ryan. Pitt-Greensburg would draw
no close than 18 points until the 4:57 mark when Trish Hines hit a pair of
foul shots to bring the score to 72-55 with 4:57 left on the clock.
Pitt-Greensburg would cut the lead to 14 points, at 77-63 with 1:44 left
on a Porter basket, but the Lady Monarchs made 7-of-8 foul shots in the
final minute to seal the victory.
Varrasse aided the King's cause with 12 points, 10
assists, and seven rebounds from her point-guard position. Kingston and
Orelli added nine points each. King's shot 48.3 (28-58) percent from the
field and made 46.2 (6-13) of their three-point attempts.
Pitt-Greensburg was paced by Porter with 18 points
while Sral added 17. Erin Arnold chipped in with 15 points and seven
rebounds while Trish Hines added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the
Bobcats. Pitt-Greensburg shot 33.8 (26-77) from the field and just 16.7
(3-18) from three-point range.
King's will next face Eastern Connecticut State
University Friday in the Sweet 16 at a site and time to be announced. ECSU
upset DeSales 62-59 in Center Valley in a second-round pairing.
