Top two teams reach NAIA semifinals
By Barry Poe Journal sports writer | Posted: Monday, March 12, 2007
The teams that have stood atop the NAIA Division II women's basketball rankings all season long have lived up to their lofty billings in the national tournament.
Unbeaten and top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan and No. 2 College of the Ozarks, last year's runner-up, have each reached the semifinals, which unfold at the Tyson Events Center tonight.
Indiana Wesleyan (36-0) tangles with fifth-ranked Cedarville (Ohio) (27-6) at 6 o'clock while Ozarks (33-2) takes on No. 8 MidAmerica Nazarene (33-3) at 8 p.m. The winners play for the national championship Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
So far, nobody has been able to measure up to Indiana Wesleyan, the only one of four schools from the Mid-Central College Conference to survive Saturday's quarterfinals. The Wildcats, however, are playing in their first Final Four while Cedarville has been there two of the last three seasons.
"We don't even think about that (unbeaten record)," said Indiana Wesleyan Coach Steve Brooks, whose team sidelined defending national champion Hastings in a quarterfinal. "I've always felt that anybody could beat anybody on a given day in this tournament.
"But this is our ultimate goal, this is where we want to be. We don't want to be on spring break this time of year."
Indiana Wesleyan returned its entire starting lineup intact and was the first unbeaten team to reach the national tournament since Briar Cliff in 1997. The Wildcats led the nation in scoring defense (47.2) and ranked second in scoring margin (plus 18.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio.
In their previous four appearances, the Wildcats lost three times in the second round and once in a quarterfinal.
Tonight's game is a rematch of a regular-season contest on Nov. 4 won by Indiana Wesleyan, 69-59 on Cedarville's home court.
Liz Howerth, a two-time first-team All-American and the school's all-time leading scorer, came into the tournament with a 20.2 average and the 5-11 senior has tallied 58 points in three games in Sioux City. Fellow seniors Sarah McGill (6-foot), Stephanie Culp (5-8) and Katrina Spitler (5-7), along with junior Lisa Thompson (6-1) complete the starting lineup.
"Our regular season games against them (Cedarville) have always been battles," said Brooks, who picked up his 200th career coaching victory earlier this season. "You can throw the records out the window because you know it's going to be a battle every game."
Cedarville, like Indiana Wesleyan a No. 1 tournament seed, had to fight back from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Taylor, another of the talented Indiana squads from the Mid-Central Conference, in a quarterfinal.
Had Taylor advanced, it would have created an interesting scenario. Taylor is located only 12 miles from Marion, Ind., the site of the Indiana Wesleyan campus. Moreover, Brooks graduated from Taylor University and spent time as an assistant coach in the men's program.
Cedarville, which lost back-to-back championship games to Morningside in 2004 and '05, boasts the most decorated performer in the history of this tournament in Brittany Smart, a 5-8 senior guard.
Smart, the nation's leading scorer with a 28.4 average, is the all-time leading scorer in NAIA Division II history with 3,204 points. The two-time All-American became the tournament's all-time leading scorer in a second-round game, then set marks for free throws made in a game (16) and career (95), as well as field goals made in a career (128).
"The ultimate goal is always a championship, but there's little steps and little goals within each goal" said Smart, one of four senior starters for Coach Kirk Martin. "Our goal was to get to the weekend and we did that, so now it's to get a championship.
"Hopefully we can come out (Monday), work hard and come out on top. We have a history of battling each other. We work hard and Indiana Wesleyan works hard, so whatever happens, happens."
Seniors Kristi Beougher, a 6-foot post, and Karah Walton, a 5-11 forward, each contribute just over 10 points per game while Stacie Travis, a 5-4 guard, adds nine points per game. Mary Stockdale (6-2) is the only junior starter.
Walton, though, has been battling a foot injury which kept her on the bench for nearly half of the quarterfinal win.
"About Feb. 1, the last thing on my mind was thinking we were going to the Final Four," said Martin, who guided the Yellow Jackets to their fifth straight American Mideast Conference South Division title. "My thought was we might be on spring break, then four seniors got healthy, pulled together and challenged our team to step up. I'm so proud of the fact that we're playing on Monday.
"Indiana Wesleyan went through the toughest conference in America undefeated in the regular season and tournament, beat three Elite Eight teams three times, and beat us on our home floor in double digits.
"Obviously, they've proven they're the best team here. We're going to have to bring our A-plus game and focus. But I promise you, we'll show up."
Despite losing all-tournament selections Cara Painter and Megan Curry, Ozarks is back in the Final Four and riding a 23-game winning streak. The Lady Cats lost to Hastings 58-39 in last year's championship game.
"Our kids came here with the idea of competing as hard as they could," said Ozarks Coach George Wilson. "We're really small, and that's been our handicap, but sometimes it can be to our advantage, too."
In Ozarks' case, it certainly has been a positive, based on the performances of guards Janessa DeMuth and Kayli Combs. DeMuth, a 5-8 junior and the team's leading scorer, poured in 38 points in an overtime victory over Northwestern in the second round. Combs, a 5-6 sophomore who transferred from NCAA Division I Missouri State, had 23 against Taylor on Saturday.
DeMuth and Combs also rank among the national leaders in three-point shooting. Four more players, senior Allison Rader, junior Rebekah Howard and sophomores Lindsy Murray and Josie Sparkman, each average over 10 points per game.
"When we started the season, I knew we would be guard strong, but our inside people have been a big key to our success," said Wilson, whose team won the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference title. "We don't know much about MidAmerica Nazarene, but they come from our general area, so we're going to know something about them come Monday evening."
Ozarks' only losses this season are to Cumberland University (Tenn.) and University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), a pair of nationally-ranked NAIA Division I teams.
If there is a cinderella in this Final Four, it's Olathe, Kan.-based MidAmerica Nazarene, despite the fact that the Lady Pioneers were No. 8 in the final national rankings. In four previous trips to the national tournament, Nazarene hadn't won a game.
"We had two goals this season, to win a conference championship, which we have never done, and to go to church in Iowa," said Nazarene Coach Bill Olin. "We've accomplished both of our goals, so I guess now we're just looking for the gravy."
Depth has been a big key for the Lady Pioneers, who shared the Heart of America Athletic Conference title with William Jewell. Nazarene goes 10 players deep, with each of them contributing, according to Olin.
The star of the team is Jenna Matson, a 6-foot junior whose 70 tournament points rank second only to Smart's 79. Matson was the fourth-leading scorer in the nation at 24.4 points per game and the Lady Pioneers ranked second as a team, ringing up 82 per game.
Ashley Patterson, a 6-4 senior post, teams with Matson to form a strong inside-outside combination. Patterson averaged 13.5 points per game this season. Seniors Aubrey Clair (5-7) and Jana Young (5-9), and freshman Beth Keeley (5-8) round out the starting lineup.
MidAmerica Nazarene surprised top-seeded and third-ranked St. Francis (Ind.) 79-71 in a quarterfinal.
Unbeaten and top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan and No. 2 College of the Ozarks, last year's runner-up, have each reached the semifinals, which unfold at the Tyson Events Center tonight.
Indiana Wesleyan (36-0) tangles with fifth-ranked Cedarville (Ohio) (27-6) at 6 o'clock while Ozarks (33-2) takes on No. 8 MidAmerica Nazarene (33-3) at 8 p.m. The winners play for the national championship Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
So far, nobody has been able to measure up to Indiana Wesleyan, the only one of four schools from the Mid-Central College Conference to survive Saturday's quarterfinals. The Wildcats, however, are playing in their first Final Four while Cedarville has been there two of the last three seasons.
"We don't even think about that (unbeaten record)," said Indiana Wesleyan Coach Steve Brooks, whose team sidelined defending national champion Hastings in a quarterfinal. "I've always felt that anybody could beat anybody on a given day in this tournament.
"But this is our ultimate goal, this is where we want to be. We don't want to be on spring break this time of year."
Indiana Wesleyan returned its entire starting lineup intact and was the first unbeaten team to reach the national tournament since Briar Cliff in 1997. The Wildcats led the nation in scoring defense (47.2) and ranked second in scoring margin (plus 18.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio.
In their previous four appearances, the Wildcats lost three times in the second round and once in a quarterfinal.
Tonight's game is a rematch of a regular-season contest on Nov. 4 won by Indiana Wesleyan, 69-59 on Cedarville's home court.
Liz Howerth, a two-time first-team All-American and the school's all-time leading scorer, came into the tournament with a 20.2 average and the 5-11 senior has tallied 58 points in three games in Sioux City. Fellow seniors Sarah McGill (6-foot), Stephanie Culp (5-8) and Katrina Spitler (5-7), along with junior Lisa Thompson (6-1) complete the starting lineup.
"Our regular season games against them (Cedarville) have always been battles," said Brooks, who picked up his 200th career coaching victory earlier this season. "You can throw the records out the window because you know it's going to be a battle every game."
Cedarville, like Indiana Wesleyan a No. 1 tournament seed, had to fight back from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Taylor, another of the talented Indiana squads from the Mid-Central Conference, in a quarterfinal.
Had Taylor advanced, it would have created an interesting scenario. Taylor is located only 12 miles from Marion, Ind., the site of the Indiana Wesleyan campus. Moreover, Brooks graduated from Taylor University and spent time as an assistant coach in the men's program.
Cedarville, which lost back-to-back championship games to Morningside in 2004 and '05, boasts the most decorated performer in the history of this tournament in Brittany Smart, a 5-8 senior guard.
Smart, the nation's leading scorer with a 28.4 average, is the all-time leading scorer in NAIA Division II history with 3,204 points. The two-time All-American became the tournament's all-time leading scorer in a second-round game, then set marks for free throws made in a game (16) and career (95), as well as field goals made in a career (128).
"The ultimate goal is always a championship, but there's little steps and little goals within each goal" said Smart, one of four senior starters for Coach Kirk Martin. "Our goal was to get to the weekend and we did that, so now it's to get a championship.
"Hopefully we can come out (Monday), work hard and come out on top. We have a history of battling each other. We work hard and Indiana Wesleyan works hard, so whatever happens, happens."
Seniors Kristi Beougher, a 6-foot post, and Karah Walton, a 5-11 forward, each contribute just over 10 points per game while Stacie Travis, a 5-4 guard, adds nine points per game. Mary Stockdale (6-2) is the only junior starter.
Walton, though, has been battling a foot injury which kept her on the bench for nearly half of the quarterfinal win.
"About Feb. 1, the last thing on my mind was thinking we were going to the Final Four," said Martin, who guided the Yellow Jackets to their fifth straight American Mideast Conference South Division title. "My thought was we might be on spring break, then four seniors got healthy, pulled together and challenged our team to step up. I'm so proud of the fact that we're playing on Monday.
"Indiana Wesleyan went through the toughest conference in America undefeated in the regular season and tournament, beat three Elite Eight teams three times, and beat us on our home floor in double digits.
"Obviously, they've proven they're the best team here. We're going to have to bring our A-plus game and focus. But I promise you, we'll show up."
Despite losing all-tournament selections Cara Painter and Megan Curry, Ozarks is back in the Final Four and riding a 23-game winning streak. The Lady Cats lost to Hastings 58-39 in last year's championship game.
"Our kids came here with the idea of competing as hard as they could," said Ozarks Coach George Wilson. "We're really small, and that's been our handicap, but sometimes it can be to our advantage, too."
In Ozarks' case, it certainly has been a positive, based on the performances of guards Janessa DeMuth and Kayli Combs. DeMuth, a 5-8 junior and the team's leading scorer, poured in 38 points in an overtime victory over Northwestern in the second round. Combs, a 5-6 sophomore who transferred from NCAA Division I Missouri State, had 23 against Taylor on Saturday.
DeMuth and Combs also rank among the national leaders in three-point shooting. Four more players, senior Allison Rader, junior Rebekah Howard and sophomores Lindsy Murray and Josie Sparkman, each average over 10 points per game.
"When we started the season, I knew we would be guard strong, but our inside people have been a big key to our success," said Wilson, whose team won the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference title. "We don't know much about MidAmerica Nazarene, but they come from our general area, so we're going to know something about them come Monday evening."
Ozarks' only losses this season are to Cumberland University (Tenn.) and University of the Cumberlands (Ky.), a pair of nationally-ranked NAIA Division I teams.
If there is a cinderella in this Final Four, it's Olathe, Kan.-based MidAmerica Nazarene, despite the fact that the Lady Pioneers were No. 8 in the final national rankings. In four previous trips to the national tournament, Nazarene hadn't won a game.
"We had two goals this season, to win a conference championship, which we have never done, and to go to church in Iowa," said Nazarene Coach Bill Olin. "We've accomplished both of our goals, so I guess now we're just looking for the gravy."
Depth has been a big key for the Lady Pioneers, who shared the Heart of America Athletic Conference title with William Jewell. Nazarene goes 10 players deep, with each of them contributing, according to Olin.
The star of the team is Jenna Matson, a 6-foot junior whose 70 tournament points rank second only to Smart's 79. Matson was the fourth-leading scorer in the nation at 24.4 points per game and the Lady Pioneers ranked second as a team, ringing up 82 per game.
Ashley Patterson, a 6-4 senior post, teams with Matson to form a strong inside-outside combination. Patterson averaged 13.5 points per game this season. Seniors Aubrey Clair (5-7) and Jana Young (5-9), and freshman Beth Keeley (5-8) round out the starting lineup.
MidAmerica Nazarene surprised top-seeded and third-ranked St. Francis (Ind.) 79-71 in a quarterfinal.
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