CEDARVILLE, Ohio - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship began on Thursday evening on the campus of Cedarville University in the Callan Athletic Center, the tournament's top seed.
#3 Kentucky Wesleyan vs. #6 Ursuline
Box Score
Kentucky Wesleyan (19-8, 13-3 G-MAC) made its first three 3-pointers in the first minute and 35 seconds and connected on 5-of-10 from behind the arc in the first half to lead Ursuline (8-21, 6-10 G-MAC) at the break 37-25. KWC continued to pull away in the second half as they advanced into the semifinals with an 85-54 victory over the Arrows.
Ursuline was able to keep the game close as they shot at a higher percentage than the Panthers. However in the second half, KWC tightened up its defense and held the Arrows to 7-of-25 shooting from the field. KWC subbed frequently to keep its players fresh, which allowed the Panthers to continue running against a tiring Ursuline squad.
After picking up a pair of quick fouls, KWC’s Jennifer Walker-Crawford finished the contest with a game-high 13 points and nine rebounds.
For UC, seniors Emma Ricketts and Briana Woods ended their college careers with 11 points - eight rebounds, and nine points and a pair of assists, respectively.
The difference in the contest was Kentucky Wesleyan ability to pressure and force 25 turnovers. Rebounds, fouls, free throws, and three point attempts were all about even. However, the Panthers got up 70 shot attempts, compared to 52 for Ursuline as they won the turnover battle 25-10.
KWC’s balanced bench scoring was able to contribute four steals, along with while 13 players scored at least two points. Senior Jordanne Gambill posted ten points, while Haley Cook and Katie Miller both provided a spark off the bench scoring ten each.
Kentucky Wesleyan advances to the semifinals, where it will face the second seed, Trevecca Nazarene, on Friday at 5 p.m. EST. The Panthers and Trojans split during regular season conference play.
#4 Davis & Elkins vs. #5 Central State
Box Score
Fifth-seeded Central State (12-17, 7-9 G-MAC) seemed to feel right at home after only traveling five miles to host Cedarville from Wilberforce. The Marauders outrebounded Davis & Elkins (13-14, 8-8 G-MAC) 25-15 to add eight second-chance points in order to pull away at the end of the first half with a 35-25 lead.
The Senators played aggressive defense in maintaining an early one-point lead for most of the first half, grabbing six steals in the first half. However, Central State was able to adjust and made a run to close out the half.
CSU continued to hold its lead in the second half, though D&E made one last run to work its way back behind senior Sharmaine Baker’s game-high 22 points with nine boards. The Senators cut into the lead and found themselves down just four with a couple minutes remaining.
For the Marauders, Jasmine Cooper had her way in the paint, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and scoring 15 points. The Central State leaned on its starting five, which had four score in double-figures, led by first team all-conference guard Iniqua Snell, Kourtni Perry and Jordyn Bond. Bond knocked down 5-of-8 from behind the arc for a team-high 19 points. Snell scored 18 and Perry added 12. The four combined to score 64 of the team's 72 points.
Senators’ point guard Stephanie Wooten contributed 15 of her 16 points in the second half drive the comeback effort. Baker ended her season atop the G-MAC scoring leaderboard, while second team all-conference selection Ashley Bowles had 15 points.
Central States moves on and will face top seed and host Cedarville on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. to determine who will move on to compete for the G-MAC championship against the winner of KWC and TNU. Cedarville took down Central State in both matchups in the regular season.