Gator Defense Takes Over Second Half In Quarterfinal Win

Feb 24, 2004

The Gators defense allowed Wooster to convert on just 7-of-33 shots (21.2 percent) in the second half to recover from five-point halftime deficit and win 55-48 in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference women’s basketball playoffs. The win improves Allegheny to 16-10 on the season and ends Wooster’s season at 10-16.

Allegheny will face the winner of tonight’s Denison/Earlham game on Friday at 5:30 at number-one seed Wittenberg’s HPER Center. Wittenberg advanced with a 74-62 win over Oberlin in the first round and will face the winner of the Ohio Wesleyan/Kenyon match-up at 7:45 on Friday.

Trailing 30-25 to start the second half, Allegheny’s defense clamped down. The Gators got a three-pointer from senior guard Jessica Kankoski (Glenshaw, Pa./Fox Chapel) just five seconds into the second half and tied the game when sophomore guard Caitlin Murtagh (Bethel Park, Pa./Seton-LaSalle) hit a layup on the next possession.

They took the lead on the next possession when junior forward Meredith McDonough (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) buried two free throws. A jumper by Wooster’s Michelle Hall, who shared the game-high with 12 points, knotted the game, but McDonough answered with four straight points to give the Gators the lead for good, 36-32 with 15:12 remaining.

Allegheny stretched the lead to as many as eight, 50-42 with 6:31 left. Wooster cut the lead to four, 52-48 with 1:17 remaining, but missed their final five shots of regulation while the Gators sank 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the game, 55-48.

Kankoski led the Gators with 11 points while McDonough added 10 points and nien rebounds. Sophomore forward Krysten Lyzen (Brook Park, Ohio/Midpark) keyed the Gator defense with five steals. She also added eight points along with Murtagh’s eight.

Hall finished with a double-double adding 10 rebounds to her 12 points. Jen Flavin also had 12 for Wooster. The Scots held the rebounding edge, 56-37, a turn from these teams’ previous two meetings.

The Gators shot 36.2 percent (21-58) in the game while Wooster finished at 29.4 percent (20-68).

Allegheny made it to the semifinals of last season’s NCAC tournament where they lost, 95-27, to Wittenberg. The Gators have won five conference tournament championships, second to the Tiger’s six titles.

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