WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OUSTED FROM NCAA REGIONAL BY PACE
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (March 9, 2007) - Stacy Boisvert (Agawam,
Mass.) led sixth-seeded American International College with 17
points, but third-seeded Pace University drained nine
three-pointers in the second half to post a 77-59 victory in the
quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Northeast
Regional at Moore Fieldhouse Friday afternoon. The Setters,
24-8 overall, advance to play second-seeded Bentley Saturday, while
the Yellow Jackets, the defending Northeast Region champions, see
their season come to a close at 21-8.
Boisvert tallied 11 of her points in the first half and also grabbed eight rebounds. Alexis Castro (Chula Vista, Calif.), the Daktronics Northeast Player of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Lexanne Dickerson (Carthage, Ill.) finished with nine points. Jen Nnanna (Somerset, N.J.) had six points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for AIC.
Freshman Taylor Losey led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, canning four of her seven three-point attempts. Liran Buchris finished with 16 points, 14 coming in the second half as she made all three of her second half three-point attempts. Hannah Sheppard made four threes and finished with 14 points while Stephanie Klingele added 12.
AIC trailed 24-15 with 6:42 left in the first half on a Stephanie Rossmy basket. The Yellow Jackets would chip away at the lead and trailing 26-20 with 1:29 to go, Kristin Boesenberg (Pocono Pines, Pa.) drained a three to make it 26-23 at the 1:04 mark. Nnanna would score with 36 seconds left to cut the lead to one, and Castro would cap the 13-2 run by draining a three at the buzzer to give American International a 28-26 halftime lead, its first of the contest.
The two teams would trade baskets early in the second half and a pair of free throws by Castro with 17:55 to go made it 36-33. Pace would then drain five consecutive three-pointers, going 5-6 behind the arc, and a Sheppard three with 12:03 left made it 48-36 in favor of the Setters. Castro would stop the run with a bucket at 11:01, but Pace would score 12 of the game's next 17 points to take a 60-43 lead with 7:47 to go on a Sheppard basket. AIC would get no closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
Pace outrebounded AIC 39-38 and held a 22-10
advantage in points of turnovers for the contest. Pace was
9-13 (69.2%) from three-point land in the second half and 13-28 for
the game while shooting 53.6% from the floor over the final 20
minutes. AIC was just 9-37 from the floor in the second half
after going 10-20 from the field in the first stanza.