Game Info: Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena - Grantham, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WUWBB
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Opening Tip
For the first time since 2012, the Widener University women's basketball team plays for a MAC Championship, taking on the No. 11 Messiah Falcons on Thursday, March 18. Tipoff from Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out - @WUWBB Pulls Away For Senior Night Victory Against Arcadia
Senior nights tend to be special events for the honorees. For Widener, it was a junior who stole the show this time around.
Nicole Barnes posted a career-high 21 points to lead the Pride to a 71-52 win against the Arcadia Knights, wrapping the regular season on Friday night.
BY THE NUMBERS
- In addition to her point total, Barnes tied a career-high with eight steals, matched her season-best with seven rebounds, and added five assists against zero turnovers.
- Kyra Schenk posted her third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding three blocks.
- Gianna Samuels knocked down a trio of treys for nine points.
- Jasmine Franklin and Helena Salmon provided a spark off the bench, tallying eight and five respectively.
- The Pride committed 14 turnovers in the game, its second lowest total of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Still feeling the sting from the previous evening, Widener started slow as Arcadia jumped out to an 8-0 lead midway through the first period. Barnes got the Blue and Gold on the board with a three-pointer, kick-starting the offense to a 10-2 run, knotting the contest at 10-10 just two minutes later. The Blue and Gold continued to wake up as the period progressed as the Pride took a 18-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
WU started extending the edge in the second as a trey by Samuels made it 26-20 at the 7:23 mark. The Knights clawed their way back in, slicing the lead to 31-30 before a steal and score by Barnes with 12 seconds left gave Widener a three-point lead at intermission. Both teams scored seemingly at will in the third as a 19-19 deadlock in the stanza made it 52-49 heading into the final quarter.
In a reversal from the previous night, Widener took charge in the fourth. The Pride outscored the Knights 19-3 in the period, shooting 8-for-16 from the floor while not allowing Arcadia a bucket in 11 tries. Schenk asserted her way, scoring four points, pulling in five rebounds, and blocking two shots in the quarter.
Scouting Report
Messiah completed the regular season 10-0 following a sweep of Eastern in its final two games, winning by a combined 147-82 tally. The Falcons have ascended to the No. 11 spot in the D3hoops Top-15.
Leah Springer leads the way for Messiah with 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She has been at her best down the stretch with three straight double-doubles, averaging 21.3 points and 12.0 rebounds an outing during the span. Jayneisha Davis has been steady all season, scoring 14.1 points and delivering 3.3 assists per game, while ranking second on the team in rebounding at 6.7 per contest.
As it always has, defense leads the way for Messiah, who is surrendering just 45.0 points per game, ranking ninth in NCAA Division III. Uncharacteristically, the Falcons are struggling beyond the arc, connecting on 28.0 percent (46-for-164) of its shots from three-point range, though they have improved in the second half of the year, shooting 31.7 percent (20-of-63) in the last four games. Last season, Messiah hit 30.4 percent and led the conference in made treys in 2016-17 and 2017-18, shooting 33.2 and 36.5 percent from distance respectively in those two seasons.
Mike Miller's 686 wins are more than any other basketball coach — men's or women's — in Messiah University history, while Miller became just the sixth coach in NCAA III women's basketball to reach the 600-win plateau in November of the 2017-18 season. During the last 22 years, Miller has racked up an overall 511-105 record, equating to an .830 winning percentage.
Championship History
Thursday marks the seventh MAC Championship appearance for Widener, who holds a 2-4 record in its previous six trips. Widener won the Commonwealth Conference title in 2004 and 2009, earning automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. It fell in the MAC Championship game to Scranton in 1978 and 1979 and to Susquehanna in 1983. The most recent trip to the finals came in 2012, an 80-71 setback against Lebanon Valley.
So, It Is Down To You And It Is Down To Me
Widener and Messiah meet for the ninth time in postseason play and the eighth time in the conference tournament, but are squaring off for the first time in the postseason since 2013. Maybe it's a good omen for the Blue and Gold as the Pride defeated the Falcons on its way to both of its conference championships. This is the first time ever Widener and Messiah compete with the title game on the line.
Culture Shift
The senior class of
Izzy Hamlin, Mack McCracken, and
Kyra Schenk have been the stewards of a shift in the culture of the Widener women's basketball program that has seen three trips to the MAC Commonwealth postseason, an NCAA Tournament berth, an ECAC Tournament quarterfinal appearance, and a 61-30 overall record since the start of 2017-18. In the four years before the trio arrived on campus, the Pride went 47-53 and did not advance to the postseason.
Hello, My Name Is...
Almost certainly, no introductions are needed between Widener and Messiah. In addition to playing just 13 days ago, the MAC Commonwealth Championship game is the 67th time the schools have met in women's basketball, the second most games for the Blue and Gold against any opponent.
We'll Battle It Out Like Civilized People
The Pride and Falcons have both achieved their success this year while committing minimal fouls. Widener is second in the MAC Commonwealth and 25th nationally at 13.5 personal fouls per game while Messiah ranks fourth in the conference and 50th overall with 14.6. Pride opponents have shot just 12.8 free throws per game and Falcons' foes attempt 16.8 a contest.
Stepping Up
Nicole Barnes put on a show against Arcadia on Friday with several career or season-high performances. She scored a personal best 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and tied her career mark with eight steals. The junior from Garnet Valley matched her season-high with seven rebounds while also contributing five assists with no turnovers and blocked a shot.
Cleaning The Glass
Despite a truncated senior season,
Kyra Schenk broke into the Widener career top-10 in rebounding with her two games against Arcadia, pulling in 27 boards in the series. Currently standing at 662, Schenk passed Becky Tyler, who posted 641 from 2006-10, Corinne Gawason (645 - 1996-00), and Chelsea Luhta (649 - 2002-06) with her efforts against the Knights. Within reach of a good game are Joyce Johnson (664 - 1995-99) and Kim Faulkner (674 - 1980-84).
Triple Double-Double
Thanks to a 11 point, 12 rebound effort on Friday against Arcadia,
Kyra Schenk recorded a double-double for a third straight game. It is the second time this season she accomplished the feat, matching her effort from 2/12-2/20. Prior to Schenk's work this season, the last Widener player to record consecutive double-doubles was Brianna Wylie who had 16 points and 12 boards against TCNJ followed by 17 points and 14 rebounds versus Swarthmore on November 11 and 18, 2015.
Ok, One More About Kyra
As she reaches the culmination of her career, Schenk is 17th among active Division III players in career blocks (126), 16th in blocks per game (1.40) and 49th in double-doubles (12).
Score...
Widener is 32-3 in its last 34 games when it scored 70 or more points.
...And Score Early
The Pride is 28-3 in its last 31 games where it was either leading or tied at the half, dating to a 71-70 win against Stevenson on February 9, 2019.
Home Is Where The Wins Are
The Blue and Gold is 26-5 in the last 31 games at the Schwartz Athletic Center, an .839 winning percentage. Of the five losses, four of them came to ranked opponents; No. 11 Messiah (November 28, 2018), No. 6 Amherst (January 4, 2020), No. 21 Albright (February 26, 2020), and No. 13 Messiah (March 5, 2021).
