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Widener's women's basketball team will load the bus and make the trip to western Pennsylvania, continuing its journey in the ECAC South Tournament and the search for its first postseason championship.
The fourth-seeded Pride (16-11, 11-3 Commonwealth Conference) on Saturday will face No. 8 seed and defending tournament champion Juniata in the semifinals at 7:30 pm. The semifinals and final will be contested on the campus of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The first semifinal pits No. 2 seed St. Vincent (PA) against sixth-seeded Alvernia at 5:30 pm with the winners playing Sunday at 4:00 pm for the crown.
Widener advanced with Wednesday's 77-51 home quarterfinal rout of fifth-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy. Sophomore Casey Pritz (Abington, PA) ended with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and 14th career. Senior Becky Tyler (Wynnewood, PA) poured in 11 points with freshman Kate Dellinger (Wrightsville, PA) grabbing nine rebounds for the Pride, who owned a 52-24 halftime lead and led by as many as 37 points.
Widener is making its fifth postseason appearance in school history and second in the ECAC South Tournament. The squad also competed in 2005 as well as playing in the NCAA Tournament in 1982, 2004 and 2009.
Freshman Lil Carney (Narbeth, PA) has exploded onto the scene at guard with her aggressive style and dynamic play, helping her to be named first team all-league and conference Rookie of the Year. She is 12th in the conference with 11.2 points per game, 20th with 4.7 rebounds per contest, fifth with 3.41 assists per game, sixth with a .769 free throw percentage, tied for 10th with 1.89 steals per contest and tied for ninth with 1.41 three-pointers per game.
Pritz, tabbed second team all-league, again has played solidly at center and made teams shift their defense around her. Last season's conference Rookie of the Year is 16th in the conference with 10.0 points per game, fifth with 7.5 rebounds per contest, second with a .565 shooting percentage and first with 1.85 blocks per game.
Tyler has stepped up in a big way at forward, giving Widener rebounding, hustle and determination. She is one of two on the squad to start all 27 games this season in addition to Carney The second team all-conference pick from 2008 is 22nd in the conference with 8.3 points per game, 10th with 6.1 rebounds per contest and seventh with a .758 free throw percentage.
Senior Lindsey Isler (New Hope, PA) has given Widener consistently solid play since taking over the point guard role early last season. She has done it all with her phenomenal defense and great leadership in helping the Pride get to this point. Isler is sixth in the league with 3.37 assists per game and third with a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Dellinger has been an integral part of Widener's starting lineup at guard. The squad is 8-2 when she starts and 8-1 as part of a lineup with Tyler, Isler, Pritz and Carney. Dellinger is 25th in the conference with 7.7 points per game and 18th with 5.0 rebounds per game.
The Pride this season advanced to the conference semifinals before bowing February 24 at No. 20 Messiah. The squad played six games this season against nationally ranked teams, defeating then No. 20 Lebanon Valley, 68-60, on February 7.
Widener has won four conference titles in its history, grabbing the Middle Atlantic Conference crown in 1981 and 1982 as well as the Commonwealth Conference championship in 2004 and 2009.
ECAC South Women's Basketball Tournament
Wednesday, March 3 – Quarterfinals
No. 4 Widener d. No. 5 Gwynedd-Mercy, 77-51
No. 8 Juniata d. No. 1 Delaware Valley, 67-65
No. 2 St. Vincent-PA d. No. 7 Pitt-Greensburg, 81-71
No. 6 Alvernia d. No. 3 Wesley, 80-70
Saturday, March 6 – Semifinals
(at Latrobe, PA)
Juniata (16-11) vs. Widener (16-11), 7:30 pm
Alvernia (17-9) at St. Vincent-PA (21-5), 5:30 pm
Sunday, March 7 – Final
(at Latrobe, PA)
Semifinals Winners, 4:00 pm
