Posted by
David Snieg
-
Sat, Feb 28, 2009
- [
Women’s Basketball – DII
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In a fast-paced and aggressive Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) championship game on Saturday, the Cardinal Stritch University women's basketball team held on to win 80-71 against the Trinity International University Trojans. With the win Stritch gains their second consecutive Conference Tournament Championship in two years.
After the Trojans scored the first basket of the game on a Vivianne Kindt (Bollingbrook, Ill.) layup, Brittany Daum (Gilberts, Ill.) came out firing, hitting a layup on a fast break and then sinking a quick three-pointer to gain the lead for Stritch. Though Trinity International's full court pressure seemed to cause some problems for the Wolves, Stritch was able to increase their lead to ten points halfway through the period.
The Trojans fought their way back to a small, three-point margin on a three-pointer by Melanie Duplessis (Lindenhurst, Ill.) before the Wolves went on a 12-2 run. During this time, Doriane Davis (Milwaukee, Wis.), Beth Gilgenbach (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and Daum each hit a trey, and Stritch, aided by TIU fouls, took advantage by adding four points from the foul line. A three-pointer from Trinity International's Joneka Stewart-Butler (Evanston, Ill.) brought the half to a close at 50-34, in favor of Stritch.
The Wolves remained in control for the first 13 minutes of the second half, but a strong push by the Trojans, sparked by a Candace Goolsby jumper, brought the score to 73-69 with just under three minutes to play. Once again fouls played a key role as the Trojans sent Marianna Herrera (Pewaukee, Wis.) to the line three times. The junior guard would hit on all six foul shots, clinching the victory for the Wolves.
Daum led Stritch scorers with 17 points, while Michelle Stelloh (West Allis, Wis.) added 16 and Davis 13. Renet Skorusa pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Reanna Perera (Milwaukee, Wis.) contributed 20 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort. Stewart-Butler and Kindt added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Duplessis registered a double double, netting 12 points and a game-high ten rebounds for TIU.
The win improves the Wolves' record to 20-10, while the Trojans end their season at 19-12.
The win not only clinches the CCAC Tournament Championship, but it also guarantees the Wolves a bid into the National Associate of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Tournament, which will take place March 11-17, at the Gateway Arena in Souix City, Iowa.
