Slow Start Dooms Gators in NCAC Finals

Feb 24, 2007

Boxscore

GRANVILLE, Ohio – A 23-point first-half deficit was too much for the Allegheny College to overcome, as the squad fell 63-47 to the Big Red of Denison University in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament.

All-Tournament team member Katie Kestler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) led the way for Allegheny (19-8) with a game-high 17 points, while Stephanie Wolf (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) added 11. Jennifer Latronica (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes), also voted to the All-Tournament team, pulled down 10 rebounds for a game-high while also scoring seven points.

After scoring the first basket of the game, the Gators went on a scoring draught, hitting just one of their next 14 shots while Denison (24-4) rattled off runs of 15-0 and 8-0, opening a 23-point, 30-7 lead with 5:58 remaining in the first half. Allegheny picked up the pace on their end of the court, out-scoring the hosts 16-6 the rest of the way, cutting the deficit to 13, 36-23, at halftime.

The Gators fought back, starting the second half with an 8-2 run, closing to within 10. The squad eventually got the Big Red advantage to just six with 12:07 remaining in the game, before the hosts scored the next ten points of the game to push ahead by 16 before cruising to the 16-point win.

The Gators struggled from the field, hitting just 16-of-53 shots overall (30.2 percent), and 4-of-19 from long range, with Kestler converting on three of those. Kestler also tied a career-high by pulling down eight rebounds, as the Blue and Gold out-rebounded the Big Red 43-39 in the contest. Wolf dished out three assists to lead the squad, with Hilary Collins (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) and Latronica each blocking two shots to lead the team.

Denison put a quartet of players in double figures, with tournament MVP Kristen Sheffield, Sarah Perrine and All-Tournament Team member Tammy Hoch each scoring 13 points, while Carolyn Simpson added 10. Sheffield pulled down a team-best eight rebounds, while blocking a game-high three shots.

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