STEVENS POINT –The road to a Final Four appearance for four teams will go through Berg Gymnasium as UW-Stevens Point will serve as the host for the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Sectional Rounds on Friday and Saturday, March 11-12.
UWSP will host the first “Sweet 16” match-up at 5 p.m. on Friday between Illinois Wesleyan and Coe College.
The final match-up on Friday will feature George Fox and the Pointers beginning at approximately 7 p.m.
The advancing teams from Friday's match-ups will take to the court in the Elite Eight with a bid to the women's Final Four in Bloomington, Ill. on the line at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 8 at Noon. All seats will be reserved seating only. One ticket will get you into both games on Friday. Prices are set at $7 for adults and $4 for students with ID, youth under 12 and senior citizens 62 and over.
Tickets can be purchased through the UW-Stevens Point Information and Ticket office at 715-346-4100.
2011 NCAA Tournament Sectional Rounds
Teams: Illinois Wesleyan, Coe College, George Fox University, UW-Stevens Point (Host School)
Site: Stevens Point, Wis. – Berg Gymnasium
Tournament Schedule:
Friday March 11th:
Illinois Wesleyan vs. Coe College – 5 p.m.
George Fox University vs. UW-Stevens Point – 7 p.m.
Saturday March 5th: Second Round
Winner of 5 p.m. Game vs. Winner 7 p.m. Game – 7 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan vs. Coe College
Illinois Wesleyan Titans
The Titans made the NCAA Tournament by winning the CCIW Conference Tournament with a 67-57 victory over Wheaton College in the league's championship game. They are 25-4 on the season and have won their last 10 games. The Titans who are making their third straight Sweet 16 appearance are currently ranked 7th in the nation according to D3hoops.com.
In the NCAA First Round the Titans were matched up against Webster University and took home an 82-70 win thanks to four players scoring in double figures. Leading the way in the opening round game was Melissa Gardner who had 19 points, while Olivia Lett had 18 points and six rebounds. The Titans then beat Wisconsin Luthern the next night as three different Titans had 20 points. Lett scored 20 while Nikki preston and Stacey Arlis each had 26 points.
Arlis leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game, and also leads the team in rebounding pulling down 6.4 boards per contest. Lett is averaging 13.7 points per game and is second on the team with 87 assists, while Preston is the third leading scorer at 12.1 points per game. Hope Schulte leads the team with 90 assists and she also averages 9.5 points per contest.
Probable Starters:
4 Brittany Hasselbring G 5-7, Jr. Watseka, Ill. (Bishop McNamara)
21 Nikki Preston F 5-10, Sr. Prospect Heights, Ill. (Wheeling)
23 Olivia Lett G 6-0, Jr. Pana, Ill. (Pana)
32 Hope Schulte G 5-10, Sr. Hillsboro, Ill. (Hillsboro)
52 Stacey Arlis F 5-11, Sr. Glendale Heights, Ill. (Driscoll Catholic)
Mia Smith is currently in her 13th season as the head coach of Illinois Wesleyan. Smith is the all-time wins leader at the school, as she has a 252-101 record in 13 seasons. This is Smith's sixth time coaching in the NCAA Tournament and in her third consecutive Sweet 16. She has been named the CCIW Coach of the Year three times.
Coe College Kohawks
Coe College advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the automatic bid from the Iowa Conference as they won the Iowa Conference Tournament by beating Simpson College in the league championship game, 59-56. They are 26-3 on the season and find themselves ranked 23rd in the latest D3hoops.com poll.
The Kohawks won their NCAA First Round game against the University of Minnesota-Morris by a score of 78-53. The Kohawks had three players in double figures in that win, led by Sarah Anciaux who had 15 points and seven rebounds. They then took down Howard Payne University the next night, 79-56 behind 21 points, six rebounds, and four blocks from Kayla Lincoln.
Lincoln leads the team in scoring as she is averaging 12.5 points per game, while Kayla Waskow is close behind, coming off the bench to average 12.0 points per contest. Lincoln and Anciaux both lead the team in rebounding as they are both pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game. Kaitlin Breitbach leads the team with 126 assists.
Probable Starters:
11 Kaitlin Breitbach G 5-7, Sr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington)
12 Leslie Ware G 5-5, Jr. Des Moines, Iowa (Johnston)
35 Sarah Anciaux G 5-8, Sr. Iowa City, Iowa (City High)
40 Kayla Lincoln F 5-11, Sr. Maynard, Iowa (West Central)
44 Devvin Rolsto C 5-11, Sr. Clinton, Iowa (Clinton)
Randi Petersen is currently in her fifth season as the head coach of Coe College. During her time at Coe, the Kohawks have won their first ever Iowa Conference Tournament game, while also advance to the tournament championship game for the first time ever. Her 26 wins this season are the most in school history.
Titans vs. Kohawks Facts:
This will be just the second meeting for the two schools, with the first being a lopsided 82-39 victory for the Titans in 2005.
This is the first season Coe has ever made the NCAA Tournament, while the Titans are playing in their third consecutive Sweet 16.
Illinois Wesleyan is the last time to defeat the Sectional host, UW-Stevens Point, as they took down the Pointers 76-72 earlier this season.
The two teams have two common opponents in Carthage College and Loras. The Titans went 2-1 versus Carthage this season, while Coe lost to them 62-57 in their only meeting. Against Loras, the Kohawks had a 2-1 record, while Illinois Wesleyan took down Loras 78-60.
George Fox vs. UW-Stevens Point
George Fox University Bruins:
The Bruins were the automatic bid winner from the Northwest Conference and they are making their fourth straight appearance in the Sweet 16. The 2009 National Champions have won 13 straight games and have an overall record of 24-5.
The Bruins got to this point by winning a pair of games at Chapman University in NCAA First and Second Round action. In the first round, the Bruins got 20 points and nine rebounds from Hanna Munger and 19 points from Keisha Gordon to defeat Occidental 53-46. The Bruins then took down Louisiana State 63-47 as both Munger and Gordon had double-doubles in the victory.
Munger and Gordon have been the top two players for the Bruins all season, as Munger is leading the team in points and rebounding. She is averaging a double-double so far this season as she scores 16.1 points and averages 10.1 rebounds per game. Gordon is the second leading scorer for the Bruins, averaging 15.4 points per game. She also leads the team with 95 assists.
Probable Starters:
5 Hayley Cusick G 5-10, Fr. Beaverton, Ore. (Westview)
10 Hannah Munger F 6-5, So. Newberg, Ore. (Newberg)
21 Arianna Mohsenian G 5-8, Jr. Yakima, Wash. (East Valley)
30 Keisha Gordon G 5-10, Jr. Vancouver, Wash. (Heritage)
32 Megan Arnoldy F 5-11, Wilsonville, Ore. (Wilsonville)
Head Coach Michael Meek is in his first season as the head coach of the Bruins, as he was previously the coach at Southridge High School of Beaverton, Oregon. While at Southridge, Meek led the team to five Oregon large school state championships during a six year span.
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
The number three team in the country, UW-Stevens Point is making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Pointers are the automatic bid winners from the WIAC as they went 16-0 in the conference and won their fourth consecutive conference tournament. The Pointers are currently on a 20 game winning streak.
The Pointers defeated St. Norbert in their first NCAA Tournament game behind 14 assists from Andrea Flease (New London/New London). Britta Petersen (Luck/Luck) scored 20 points in the win, while Ashley Averkamp (New Berlin, WI/West) posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Averkamp then led six pointers in double figures with 16 points the next night to lead the Pointers past Simpson College 82-75.
The Pointers are led by seniors Britta Petersen (Luck/Luck) and Andrea Flease (New London/New London). Petersen is the Pointers leading scorer with 14.4 points per game, while Flease leads the team in assists with 5.3 assists per game. Petersen was also named WIAC Player of the Year. Ashley Averkamp (New Berlin, WI/West) has come on strong as of late, having scored in double figures in each of her last four games.
Probable Starters:
2 Cassie Bandow (Plover, WI/Pacelli), Jr. G, 5-11, Plover, WI
4 Andrea Flease (New London/New London), Sr. G., 5-5, New London, WI
25 Britta Petersen (Luck/Luck), Sr. P, 5-11, Luck, WI
31 Christin Coles (Hustisford/Hustisford), Sr. G, 5-5, Hustisford, WI
43 Ashley Averkamp (New Berlin, WI/West), Jr., P, 6-0, New Berlin, WI
Head Coach Shirley Egner has compiled a 409-177 overall record in her 21 seasons at the helm of the Pointers, ranking second on the all-time WIAC wins list. The Pointers have an average of 23 wins per season over the past decade with Coach Egner at the helm. Egner's all-time coaching record is 548-227. Egner is coaching in her sixth NCAA Tournament as she led the Pointers to a National Championship during the 2001-02 season.
George Fox vs. UWSP Facts
This will be the first time the two schools have ever met in women's basketball.
Both schools have won national championships, with the Pointers winning the title in 1987 and 2002, while George Fox won it all in 2009.
The Bruins are making their fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16, while this will be the third consecutive Sweet 16 for the Pointers.
Both schools are on double-digit win streaks right now, with the Bruins having won 13 in a row and the Pointers 20 in a row.
Two schools have two common opponents this season in Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. The Pointers beat Puget Sound 85-61, while the Bruins had a 2-1 record against them. The Pointers took down Pacific Lutheran 74-53 and George Fox beat them both times this season, 83-45 and 68-65 in overtime.
