Women’s basketball rocks and rolls to a repeat as ODAC champions
Last week´s ODAC championship launched the Quakers to their NCAA victory Wednesday night (Dan Fleishman)
Angela Rioux
March 1, 2002
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They did it again. Guilford’s own women’s basketball team returned to Greensboro Sat. night with their second straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title.Amy Evans led the team in the first round of the tournament against Hollins University with 10 points, eight of which she scored in the second half.
The Quakers had a season-high 54 team-rebounds led by Erin Beacham’s 11, Courtney Hill’s eight, and Evans’ seven.
With 3:22 left in the game, sophomore Jackie Hardenbergh knocked down a three-pointer to give Guilford a 53-44 lead. The final score put the Quakers on top 55-44.
The semi-final game against Randolph-Macon would prove to be a little tougher. Unlike Guilford’s usual 15-point leads, this game had five lead changes and four ties.
The game began a little slowly, but once Guilford had scored four points, Beacham took over. The senior guard, who finished the game with a career-high 36 points and nine rebounds, scored the next 11 points. Hardenbergh and Hill followed with 11 and 14 points respectively. Hill, the ODAC Rookie of the Year, hit 12 of her points in the second-half.
Sophomore Jennie Keichline added two more blocks to her season total of 31, and point guard Nicole McCrory dished out four assists. The Quakers went into the championship game after winning 69-60 over the Yellow Jackets.
The championship game was against Bridgewater College. Guilford split the regular season with the Eagles, each team winning on their home court.
The first half the game looked to be another close one. McCrory got in early foul trouble, but freshman Kelly Burger stepped up, playing great defense and hitting 12 points, including two key three-pointers.
The lead changed seven times and the Quakers went into the locker room at half-time with an eight point lead thanks to an end-of-the-half push led by A.J. Roberston (7 pts.).
Coming onto the court in the second half, Guilford extended its run to 18-4, leading by 14 points.
Beacham hit back-to-back three pointers and Bridgewater was never able to cut the lead below ten. Guilford extended their lead to 18 with the help of strong board-play by Hill, Hardenbergh, Beacham and Keichline, beating the team’s previous season-high team rebounds by grabbing 55. Guilford won their second ODAC title 71-53.
After the game, the ODAC announced that Hill had been selected as a member of the All-Tournament team and Beacham as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The Wed. before, the two had received regular-season ODAC honors along with Evans, who was an Honorable Mention selection.
Heading into the Feb. 27 NCAA First Round playoff game, the team was excited about their first playoff game at home.
Which, by the way, they won.