Gator Women Look Towards Earlham

Feb 20, 2006

Game Notes (PDF)

MEADVILLE, Pa. – As the Allegheny College Gators prepare for their NCAC playoff opener, they look back to last season, when after sweeping Ohio Wesleyan during the season, the Battling Bishops jumped up and bit the Gators in the first round of the NCAC tournament, ending Allegheny’s season.

This season Allegheny has dominated the Earlham Quakers, its 2005-06 first round opponent, winning by scores of 88-52 and 88-74. In the first meeting on January 7, the Gators started their current run of 11 wins in their last 12 games, jumping out to a 20-6 lead just eight minutes into the game before cruising to the 36-point win.

In the most recent game, on February 3, the Gators opened the game with an 11-1 run, but were unable to pull away, as Earlham hit 32-of-61 shots (52.5%) in the 14-point Allegheny win. The game could have been even closer, but the Quakers were without leading scorer, point guard Janee’ Covington, who was out with an illness.

“We certainly are focusing all of our efforts on what Earlham does,” said Allegheny head women’s coach Jennifer Reimer. “Last time we played them they were without their point guard and leading scorer, so we understand that it will be a different basketball team that comes here tomorrow night, not to mention that when it’s playoffs, everyone is back to 0-0. Earlham is a really athletic basketball team, they are well coached, and they play with a lot of enthusiasm, so we have to bring our best game here tomorrow night.”

In the yearly series, Earlham has four players averaging double figures in the two games, with Tasha Merrill leading the way, averaging 13.5 points per contest. Samantha Lurie, Chelsea Caywood and Guin Summerton average 12.0, 12.0 and 10.0 points per game, respectively, in the two games against Allegheny. Merrill and Caywood pulled down 15 and 14 rebounds in the series, while Lauren Herrmann has dished out six assists.

While Earlham has the top end scorers, Allegheny has depth in the series, with just one player, Caitlin Murtagh (Bethel Park/Seton-La Salle), scoring double figures in both games (14.0 points per game). 11 other players average 4.0 points per game in the series, and eight put up more than 10 points in the two games. Courtney Steding (McDonald/Fort Cherry) and Katie Kestler (Pittsburgh/Mt. Lebanon) each average 9.0 points per game against Earlham, while Valery Medwid (Pittsburgh/Montour) averages eight points per game.

The deciding factor between the teams in the two games has been turnovers, as Allegheny has forced 49 in the two games, with the Gators picking up 26 steals, eight by junior Meghan Vasilisin (Munhall/Oakland Catholic) in the series. Jennifer Latronica (Gibsonia/Deer Lakes) has blocked six shots against Earlham, which is a solid number, but is still a far cry from her eight blocked shots that she recorded against Hiram.

“Defense and rebounding wins you championships,” Reimer said. “With the type of intensity that we are tying to bring with our full-court pressure, we are trying to force some turnovers and force offenses out of their comfort zone. The kids have a great deal of confidence to go and put pressure on the perimeter, because if their kid gets by them, Jen Latronica is waiting back in the paint to try and alter some shots.”

This season the Quakers are a trio of freshmen, led by Covington and Merrill, who average 11.9 and 10.9 points per game, respectively, and Caywood, who puts up 8.2 points per game. The young squad from Richmond, Indiana has just one senior on their roster (Hermann) and just one junior that has played in more than 10 games. Merrill and Caywood pull down 6.6 and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Merrill has blocked 12 shots to pace the squad.

Leading the Gators has been a core group of 10 players, led by seniors Steding and Murtagh, who average 11.0 and 9.6 points per game apiece. Kestler puts in 8.8 points per contest, while Medwid scores 7.3 per contest. Against Hiram, Medwid became the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter, hitting the 117th of her career. Close behind, however, is teammate Kestler, a junior, who has 112 for her career. Her 50 three-pointers this season is the second best mark in school history, only trailing her 2004-05 total of 55, while her 153 attempts is two ahead of the previous school record.

Latronica, who spent the first semester of the school year studying abroad, has come out in force since her return, blocking 41 shots in 15 games, leading the conference with her 2.7 block per game average. Steding is second on the team with 30 blocks, while her 55 steals is first, three ahead of Murtagh’s 52.

Tip-off for the game is on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the David V. Wise Center.

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