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DePauw exceeds expectations in basketball victory
Tigers subdue perennial-power Bears to capture school’s first championship
The NCAA News
Tigers subdue perennial-power Bears to capture school’s first championship
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The NCAA News
When the season began, DePauw’s goal was to be among the last four teams playing in March.
The Tigers obviously set the bar too low, since they wound up winning the Division III Women’s Basketball Championship with a 55-52 victory over Washington U. in St. Louis March 17.
It is the first national team title of any kind for DePauw. While they hail from the Hoosier state, the Tigers didn’t need a Jimmy Chitwood-type last-second shot to win like the famous team in the movie did.
Instead, they built a 15-point lead in the final at Springfield, Massachusetts, and held off a hard-charging Bears program that had won four straight championships from 1998-2001.
“I am in a fog,” said DePauw coach Kris Huffman, whose team finished the season 31-3. “It was one of our goals to reach the semifinals, but as far as winning a national championship, I am not sure if you are ever prepared to have it happen.”
Cassie Pruzin scored 12 points for the Tigers, and Liz Bondi added nine points and nine rebounds. The Tigers, who led, 24-20, at the intermission, broke open the game with a 13-2 run in an eight-minute stretch.
Washington U. in St. Louis (25-6) trailed, 37-22, with 12:10 left in the game before mounting a comeback.
The Bears cut the lead to 42-41 on a layup by Rebecca Parker with 6:21 remaining. Washington U. in St. Louis also edged to within in a single point after a three-pointer by Halsey Ward with 4:43 left in the game.
“We tried to make a run, but they controlled the tempo for most of the game,” said Bears coach Nancy Fahey. “You hope the shots start falling, but you have to give credit to DePauw’s defense.”
While the Bears held the momentum for much of the second half, the Tigers never relinquished the lead.
“We never got nervous,” Bondi said. “We have been in that situation before. We knew they were a great team and at some point they would come back, but we managed to withstand their run.”
Defense was the key reason for DePauw earning the national title. The Tigers used it to overcome a 10-point deficit in the semifinals against Mary Washington.
The 67-61 victory marked only the second time a DePauw team earned its way into a championship game in a team sport. The 1990 DePauw men’s basketball team lost to Rochester by a 43-42 score.
Washington U. in St. Louis beat New York University, 73-53, in the other semifinal.
Sectionals
At Scranton — Bowdoin 63, Rochester 53; Mary Washington 48, Scranton 45; Mary Washington 64, Bowdoin 59.
At Emmanuel (Mass.) — DePauw 74, Emmanuel (Mass.) 66, Calvin 60, Southern Maine 56; DePauw 74, Calvin 61.
At Luther — Puget Sound 47, Howard Payne 44; Washington-St. Louis 59, Luther 58; Washington-St. Louis 57, Puget Sound 48.
At New York U. — Kean 68, Randolph-Macon 60; New York U. 76, Simpson 58; New York U. 76, Kean 64.
Semifinals
DePauw 67, Mary Washington 61
DePauw: Liz Bondi 11-17, 4-4, 4, 28; Emily Marshall 1-4, 0-0, 1, 2; Suzy Doughty 1-6, 6-8, 5, 8; Cassie Pruzin 0-5, 2-3, 5, 2; Kalei Lowes 3-6, 0-0, 2, 8; Caitlin McGonigal 1-5, 0-0, 5, 2; Gretchen Haehl 1-5, 1-2, 1, 3; Gwen Haehl 1-4, 0-0, 2, 2; Jenna Fernandez 3-3, 0-0, 3, 6; Bridget Bailey 3-9, 0-0, 4, 6. Totals: 25-64, 13-17, 35, 67.
Mary Washington: Debbie Bruen 5-9, 2-2, 5, 14; Leigh Kampman 3-6, 0-0, 1, 6; Lisa Tracy 2-3, 0-0, 6, 4; Liz Hickey 7-12, 0-5, 10, 14; Amanda Bates 2-5, 0-0, 4, 5; Katie Clarkin 3-6, 0-0, 2, 9; Brooke Davies 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Ashton Mitchell 2-4, 3-4, 3, 7; Katy Larson 0-2, 2-2, 0; 2. Totals: 24-47, 7-13, 34, 61.
Halftime: Mary Washington 31, DePauw 26. Three-point field goals: DePauw 4-18 (Bondi 2-2, Lowes 2-4, Doughty 0-1, McGonigal 0-2, Gretchen Haehl 0-2, Gwen Haehl 0-3, Pruzin 0-4); Mary Washington 6-14 (Clarkin 3-5, Bruen 2-3, Bates 1-4, Kampman 0-1, Larson 0-1). Officials: Scott Doberstein, Kimberly Hobbs, Ron Quirk.
Washington-St. Louis 73, New York U. 53
Washington-St. Louis: Karen Bachman 6-13, 1-2, 4, 13; Jessica McEntee 3-11, 3-3, 7, 9; Adrienne Rochetti 2-7, 0-0, 2, 6; Gena Brown 2-5, 0-0, 1, 5; Stephanie Ryba 6-19, 3-5, 5, 16; Chelsea Trout 0-4, 0-0, 0, 0; Jen Hum-Traverso 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Alania Anderson 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Sarah McDevitt 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Grace Carmen 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Megan Fox 1-1, 2-2, 3, 4. Totals: 20-62, 9-12, 27, 53.
New York U.: Jamie McFarlin 10-12, 2-4, 15, 22; Rebecca Parker 5-16, 4-5, 11, 14; Sarah Schell 1-8, 7-8, 2, 9; Jill Brandt 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Jenny Southworth 1-1, 0-0, 2, 2; Nicky Huels 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; Rovina Broomfield 0-0, 0-0, 2, 0; Laura Lane-Steele 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Stacey Niese 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; DeDe Alexander 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Zoe Unruh 4-6, 2-2, 3, 11; Halsey Ward 0-2, 2-2, 4, 2; Lauren Downing 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Janice Evans 3-5, 0-0, 0, 6. Sarah Tibesar 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2. Totals: 25-52, 21-25, 46, 72.
Halftime: Washington-St. Louis 32, New York U. 23. Three-point field goals: New York U. 4-21 (Rochetti 2-4, Brown 1-2, Ryba 1-8, Carmen 0-1, McDevitt 0-1, McEntee 0-1, Trout 0-4); Washington-St. Louis 1-4 (Unruh 1-2, Schell 0-1, Evans 0-1). Officials: Brad Duistermars, Michael McDonnell, Carmela McMullen.
Third-place game
Mary Washington 74, New York U. 63
Mary Washington: Debbie Bruen 7-16, 6-6, 8, 21; Leigh Kampman 1-7, 0-0, 6, 2; Lisa Tracy 7-12, 2-2, 7, 18; Liz Hickey 6-13, 2-5, 7, 14; Amanda Bates 3-5, 0-0, 6, 7; Katie Clarkin 0-2, 0-2, 0, 0; Ashton Mitchell 4-13, 0-0, 9, 8; Katy Larson 1-5, 2-2, 5, 4. Totals: 29-73, 12-17, 53, 74.
New York U.: Jessica McEnttee 2-17, 8-11, 11, 12; Adrienne Rochetti 3-8, 1-2, 2, 10; Karen Bachman 3-8, 4-7, 10, 10; Gena Brown 0-7, 3-6, 3, 3; Stephanie Ryba 8-19, 2-2, 6, 19; Chelsea Trout 0-2, 2-2, 1, 2; Jen Hum-Traverso 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Sarah McDevitt 1-2, 0-0, 1, 3; Megan Fox 2-5, 0-0, 5, 4. Totals: 19-68. 20-30, 48, 63.
Halftime: Mary Washington 33, New York U. 25. Three-point field goals: Mary Washington 4-12 (Tracy 2-2, Bates 1-2, Bruen 1-4, Kampman 0-1, Clarkin 0-1, Larson 0-2); New York U. 5-16 (Rochettie 3-4, McDevitt 1-2, Ryba 1-4, McEntee 0-1, Trout 0-2, Brown 0-3). Officials: Michael Bronson, Rich Chiponis, Connie Perkins.
Championship game
DePauw 55, Washington-St. Louis 52
DePauw: Liz Bondi 4-13, 1-2, 9, 9; Emily Marshall 4-5, 0-2, 7, 8; Suzy Doughty 3-4, 3-4, 0, 9; Cassie Pruzin 4-15, 3-4, 4, 12; Kalei Lowes 3-7, 0-0, 0, 9; Caitlin McGonigal 0-6, 0-0, 1, 0; Gretchen Haehl 3-6, 0-0, 1, 8; Gwen Haehl 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Jenna Fernandez 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0; Bridget Bailey 0-2, 0-0, 2, 0. Totals: 21-60, 7-12, 34, 55.
Washington-St. Louis: Jaimie McFarlin 5-8, 2-2, 11, 12; Rebecca Parker 4-13, 1-4, 10, 9; Sarah Schell 3-12, 1-2, 4, 7; Jill Brandt 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Jenny Southworth 2-2, 0-0, 2, 4; Nickey Huels 0-0, 1-2, 0, 1; Laura Lane-Steele 0-4, 0-0, 0, 0; Zoe Unruh 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0; Halsey Ward 6-10, 0-1, 5, 16; Janice Evans 1-3, 1-2, 2, 3. Totals: 21-54, 6-13, 44, 52.
Halftime: DePauw 24, Washington-St. Louis 20. Three-point field goals: DePauw 6-25 (Lowes 3-5, Gretchen Haehl 2-3, Pruzin 1-10, Gwen Haehl 0-1, Doughty 0-1, Bondi 0-1); Washington-St. Louis 4-8 (Ward 4-6, Lane-Steele 0-2). Officials: Dolores Martino, Mark McClanahan, James Spingler.
The Tigers obviously set the bar too low, since they wound up winning the Division III Women’s Basketball Championship with a 55-52 victory over Washington U. in St. Louis March 17.
It is the first national team title of any kind for DePauw. While they hail from the Hoosier state, the Tigers didn’t need a Jimmy Chitwood-type last-second shot to win like the famous team in the movie did.
Instead, they built a 15-point lead in the final at Springfield, Massachusetts, and held off a hard-charging Bears program that had won four straight championships from 1998-2001.
“I am in a fog,” said DePauw coach Kris Huffman, whose team finished the season 31-3. “It was one of our goals to reach the semifinals, but as far as winning a national championship, I am not sure if you are ever prepared to have it happen.”
Cassie Pruzin scored 12 points for the Tigers, and Liz Bondi added nine points and nine rebounds. The Tigers, who led, 24-20, at the intermission, broke open the game with a 13-2 run in an eight-minute stretch.
Washington U. in St. Louis (25-6) trailed, 37-22, with 12:10 left in the game before mounting a comeback.
The Bears cut the lead to 42-41 on a layup by Rebecca Parker with 6:21 remaining. Washington U. in St. Louis also edged to within in a single point after a three-pointer by Halsey Ward with 4:43 left in the game.
“We tried to make a run, but they controlled the tempo for most of the game,” said Bears coach Nancy Fahey. “You hope the shots start falling, but you have to give credit to DePauw’s defense.”
While the Bears held the momentum for much of the second half, the Tigers never relinquished the lead.
“We never got nervous,” Bondi said. “We have been in that situation before. We knew they were a great team and at some point they would come back, but we managed to withstand their run.”
Defense was the key reason for DePauw earning the national title. The Tigers used it to overcome a 10-point deficit in the semifinals against Mary Washington.
The 67-61 victory marked only the second time a DePauw team earned its way into a championship game in a team sport. The 1990 DePauw men’s basketball team lost to Rochester by a 43-42 score.
Washington U. in St. Louis beat New York University, 73-53, in the other semifinal.
Sectionals
At Scranton — Bowdoin 63, Rochester 53; Mary Washington 48, Scranton 45; Mary Washington 64, Bowdoin 59.
At Emmanuel (Mass.) — DePauw 74, Emmanuel (Mass.) 66, Calvin 60, Southern Maine 56; DePauw 74, Calvin 61.
At Luther — Puget Sound 47, Howard Payne 44; Washington-St. Louis 59, Luther 58; Washington-St. Louis 57, Puget Sound 48.
At New York U. — Kean 68, Randolph-Macon 60; New York U. 76, Simpson 58; New York U. 76, Kean 64.
Semifinals
DePauw 67, Mary Washington 61
DePauw: Liz Bondi 11-17, 4-4, 4, 28; Emily Marshall 1-4, 0-0, 1, 2; Suzy Doughty 1-6, 6-8, 5, 8; Cassie Pruzin 0-5, 2-3, 5, 2; Kalei Lowes 3-6, 0-0, 2, 8; Caitlin McGonigal 1-5, 0-0, 5, 2; Gretchen Haehl 1-5, 1-2, 1, 3; Gwen Haehl 1-4, 0-0, 2, 2; Jenna Fernandez 3-3, 0-0, 3, 6; Bridget Bailey 3-9, 0-0, 4, 6. Totals: 25-64, 13-17, 35, 67.
Mary Washington: Debbie Bruen 5-9, 2-2, 5, 14; Leigh Kampman 3-6, 0-0, 1, 6; Lisa Tracy 2-3, 0-0, 6, 4; Liz Hickey 7-12, 0-5, 10, 14; Amanda Bates 2-5, 0-0, 4, 5; Katie Clarkin 3-6, 0-0, 2, 9; Brooke Davies 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Ashton Mitchell 2-4, 3-4, 3, 7; Katy Larson 0-2, 2-2, 0; 2. Totals: 24-47, 7-13, 34, 61.
Halftime: Mary Washington 31, DePauw 26. Three-point field goals: DePauw 4-18 (Bondi 2-2, Lowes 2-4, Doughty 0-1, McGonigal 0-2, Gretchen Haehl 0-2, Gwen Haehl 0-3, Pruzin 0-4); Mary Washington 6-14 (Clarkin 3-5, Bruen 2-3, Bates 1-4, Kampman 0-1, Larson 0-1). Officials: Scott Doberstein, Kimberly Hobbs, Ron Quirk.
Washington-St. Louis 73, New York U. 53
Washington-St. Louis: Karen Bachman 6-13, 1-2, 4, 13; Jessica McEntee 3-11, 3-3, 7, 9; Adrienne Rochetti 2-7, 0-0, 2, 6; Gena Brown 2-5, 0-0, 1, 5; Stephanie Ryba 6-19, 3-5, 5, 16; Chelsea Trout 0-4, 0-0, 0, 0; Jen Hum-Traverso 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Alania Anderson 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Sarah McDevitt 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Grace Carmen 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Megan Fox 1-1, 2-2, 3, 4. Totals: 20-62, 9-12, 27, 53.
New York U.: Jamie McFarlin 10-12, 2-4, 15, 22; Rebecca Parker 5-16, 4-5, 11, 14; Sarah Schell 1-8, 7-8, 2, 9; Jill Brandt 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Jenny Southworth 1-1, 0-0, 2, 2; Nicky Huels 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; Rovina Broomfield 0-0, 0-0, 2, 0; Laura Lane-Steele 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Stacey Niese 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; DeDe Alexander 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Zoe Unruh 4-6, 2-2, 3, 11; Halsey Ward 0-2, 2-2, 4, 2; Lauren Downing 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Janice Evans 3-5, 0-0, 0, 6. Sarah Tibesar 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2. Totals: 25-52, 21-25, 46, 72.
Halftime: Washington-St. Louis 32, New York U. 23. Three-point field goals: New York U. 4-21 (Rochetti 2-4, Brown 1-2, Ryba 1-8, Carmen 0-1, McDevitt 0-1, McEntee 0-1, Trout 0-4); Washington-St. Louis 1-4 (Unruh 1-2, Schell 0-1, Evans 0-1). Officials: Brad Duistermars, Michael McDonnell, Carmela McMullen.
Third-place game
Mary Washington 74, New York U. 63
Mary Washington: Debbie Bruen 7-16, 6-6, 8, 21; Leigh Kampman 1-7, 0-0, 6, 2; Lisa Tracy 7-12, 2-2, 7, 18; Liz Hickey 6-13, 2-5, 7, 14; Amanda Bates 3-5, 0-0, 6, 7; Katie Clarkin 0-2, 0-2, 0, 0; Ashton Mitchell 4-13, 0-0, 9, 8; Katy Larson 1-5, 2-2, 5, 4. Totals: 29-73, 12-17, 53, 74.
New York U.: Jessica McEnttee 2-17, 8-11, 11, 12; Adrienne Rochetti 3-8, 1-2, 2, 10; Karen Bachman 3-8, 4-7, 10, 10; Gena Brown 0-7, 3-6, 3, 3; Stephanie Ryba 8-19, 2-2, 6, 19; Chelsea Trout 0-2, 2-2, 1, 2; Jen Hum-Traverso 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Sarah McDevitt 1-2, 0-0, 1, 3; Megan Fox 2-5, 0-0, 5, 4. Totals: 19-68. 20-30, 48, 63.
Halftime: Mary Washington 33, New York U. 25. Three-point field goals: Mary Washington 4-12 (Tracy 2-2, Bates 1-2, Bruen 1-4, Kampman 0-1, Clarkin 0-1, Larson 0-2); New York U. 5-16 (Rochettie 3-4, McDevitt 1-2, Ryba 1-4, McEntee 0-1, Trout 0-2, Brown 0-3). Officials: Michael Bronson, Rich Chiponis, Connie Perkins.
Championship game
DePauw 55, Washington-St. Louis 52
DePauw: Liz Bondi 4-13, 1-2, 9, 9; Emily Marshall 4-5, 0-2, 7, 8; Suzy Doughty 3-4, 3-4, 0, 9; Cassie Pruzin 4-15, 3-4, 4, 12; Kalei Lowes 3-7, 0-0, 0, 9; Caitlin McGonigal 0-6, 0-0, 1, 0; Gretchen Haehl 3-6, 0-0, 1, 8; Gwen Haehl 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Jenna Fernandez 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0; Bridget Bailey 0-2, 0-0, 2, 0. Totals: 21-60, 7-12, 34, 55.
Washington-St. Louis: Jaimie McFarlin 5-8, 2-2, 11, 12; Rebecca Parker 4-13, 1-4, 10, 9; Sarah Schell 3-12, 1-2, 4, 7; Jill Brandt 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Jenny Southworth 2-2, 0-0, 2, 4; Nickey Huels 0-0, 1-2, 0, 1; Laura Lane-Steele 0-4, 0-0, 0, 0; Zoe Unruh 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0; Halsey Ward 6-10, 0-1, 5, 16; Janice Evans 1-3, 1-2, 2, 3. Totals: 21-54, 6-13, 44, 52.
Halftime: DePauw 24, Washington-St. Louis 20. Three-point field goals: DePauw 6-25 (Lowes 3-5, Gretchen Haehl 2-3, Pruzin 1-10, Gwen Haehl 0-1, Doughty 0-1, Bondi 0-1); Washington-St. Louis 4-8 (Ward 4-6, Lane-Steele 0-2). Officials: Dolores Martino, Mark McClanahan, James Spingler.
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