Widener's basketball teams will take to the court Wednesday in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament.
The women (19-6, 10-4 CC) are the third seed and will visit No. 2 seed Messiah, beginning at 7:00 pm in Grantham, PA. The men (13-12, 8-6) also are seeded third and travel to second-seeded Lebanon Valley, starting at 8:00 pm in Annville, PA.
Tickets for each game are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and free for those under age six.
The women continue what has been a standout campaign in which the squad was ranked as high as fourth in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Rankings. Helping lead the charge is sophomore guard Kate Dellinger (Wrightsville, PA), who leads the team with 17.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per contest, an .819 free throw percentage and is third with a .356 three-point percentage.
Dellinger, who was picked second team Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District with a 3.994 GPA in Psychology and Pre/Physical Therapy, also has six double-doubles this season. She would be first in the conference in scoring, second in free throw shooting, fifth in 3-point percentage and seventh in rebounding, but has not played enough games after missing the first seven contests due to injury.
Sophomore point guard Lil Carney (Narberth, PA) is 11th in the league with 10.6 points per game, second with 5.6 assists per contest, fifth with a .779 free throw percentage and second with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Last season, she was tabbed first team all-league and the conference Rookie of the Year.
Jennifer Egee (Ridley Park, PA) is third in the league with a .384 three-point percentage and fellow freshman guard Joanna Persiano (Ventnor, NJ) is fifth at .353. Both are tied for third on the squad with 8.8 points per game and sophomore Francesca Lee (Hainesport, NJ) is fifth with 8.3 points per contest.
Widener is in the conference tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years. It is playing Messiah in the semifinals for the fourth straight year and sixth time in the last nine seasons, capturing two of five meetings.
The men, winners of four straight, punched their ticket thanks to Saturday's thrilling 93-83 double-overtime win over Lycoming. The Pride, holders of 15 Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference titles, are in the league tournament for the fifth time in six years.
Junior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) has been a force at center, sitting 10th in the conference with 13.6 points per game, third with 7.4 rebounds per contest, fifth with a .555 field goal percentage and ninth with 0.8 blocks per game.
Junior Perry Wright (Severn, MD) has given the Pride solid minutes at forward, placing 17th in the league with 10.4 points per game and sixth with 1.5 steals per contest. Senior forward Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) is third on the team with 8.8 points per game as well as second with 5.4 rebounds per contest.
Senior guard Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) is fourth on the team with 8.6 points per game and second with a .407 three-point percentage. Junior BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD), who is fifth on the squad with 8.1 points per contest, hit a 65-foot shot at the buzzer to defeat Lebanon Valley on January 15 and was featured as the number three play on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10.
The Pride are 5-0 against the Dutchmen in the Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference Tournament with the last meeting taking place in the 2004 Commonwealth semifinals, a 63-54 Widener triumph in Chester, PA.
The other women's semifinal pits No. 16 Lebanon Valley hosting fourth-seeded Alvernia. The second half of the men's bracket sees top-seeded Alvernia playing host to No. 4 seed Messiah.
The winners advance to the final Saturday with the champion receiving an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
