#1 La Roche College will be playing for their seventh straight AMCC women's basketball championship as they take on #2 Medaille College at 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Redhawks defeated #5 Penn State Behrend 80-53 on Saturday afternoon, and the Mavericks took down #3 Pitt-Bradford 91-87 in game two of the women's basketball semifinals.
The Redhawks started out strong, as they ran out to a 10-0 lead within the first three minutes of the game, with senior forward Mackenzie O'Donnell scoring five of those points. They expanded the lead to 17-4 until the Lions used an 11-0 run of their own mid-way through the first quarter to close the gap to two points, with La Roche clinging to a 17-15 lead with 2:00 to play in the quarter. Behrend battled tough throughout the remainder of the quarter, trailing the Redhawks 22-17 after one. The Lions continued to fight throughout the second quarter, keeping the scoring margin under 10 for the majority of the quarter, until a Deleza Regan jump shot at the 3:46 mark put the Redhawks up 11 and they never relinquished their double-digit lead, taking a 38-23 advantage into the locker room. Behrend dominated on the boards throughout the entire first half, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds, compared to La Roche's four offensive boards, and holding a 27-16 overall advantage on the glass.
The Redhawks came out hungry in the second half and continued to expand their lead. With 20 points in the paint and 13 points off of turnovers, La Roche led 68-35 after three quarters, and continued to do much of the same into the fourth quarter. The Redhawks outrebounded the Lions in the final two quarters, holding a 20-10 advantage in those two frames.
The Redhawks saw five players score in double figures. Senior forward TiChina Mitchell recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Sabrina McLin picked up 17 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Mackenzie O'Donnell added 15 points, while senior forward Danasha Harris and junior guard Darrian Johnson each chipped in with 11 points a piece.
Junior guard Erika Woll and freshman forward Katie Chess were the only two to score in double figures for the Lions with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
In game number two of the women's basketball semifinals, it was Medaille College that defeated Pitt-Bradford 91-87 to earn a trip to Sunday's conference championship game.
Both teams came to play, as the first half saw multiple lead changes and the Mavericks taking a slim 39-38 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Medaille started off the scoring on a Dani Reinwald rebound and put back, and eventually expanded that lead to five when they took an 8-3 advantage. A three-pointer by Mav senior guard MarceAnn Dunning at the 5:27 mark of the first quarter gave Medaille a 15-8 lead, and the biggest lead either team would hold the remainder of the half. Pitt-Bradford junior guard Ali Rinfrette caught fire, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and 15 in the half, including 3-4 from long range.
The second half was much like the first, with the lead exchanging hands throughout, and the scoring margins staying tight. The third quarter was back-and-forth the entire time, with neither team holding more than a three point advantage. Medaille didn't start taking control of the game until there was 3:09 left in the game and senior guard Lauren Jensen converted on two free throws to put the Mavs up seven, 77-84. Each time the Panthers tried to chip away at the Maverick lead, Medaille would find a way to stay on top.
Senior guard MarceAnn Dunning and junior forward Dani Reinwald each poured in 25 points for the Mavs, with Reinwald adding 17 rebounds. Senior guards Taina Graham and Jensen added 16 and 15 points, respectively, while senior guard Kelli McCauley chipped in with 10.
Panther junior guard Ali Rinfrette led all scorers with 30 points, while senior forward Brittany Watts added 14.
Medaille will be takig on La Roche for their fifth women's basketball conference title, and first since 2010.