Royals Lose Game, Maybe NCAA Berth
Posted: February 25, 2013
SALEM — If Eastern Mennonite University doesn’t make the Division III women’s basketball tournament, then Sunday will probably mark the most devastating defeat of coach Kevin Griffin’s eight-year tenure.
The top-seed Royals held a five-point lead over No. 2 seed Guilford with four minutes remaining in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game, then missed six of their last seven shots and gave up the game winner with 6.9 seconds left in a 61-59 loss Sunday at the Salem Civic Center.
Not only did the defeat deny Eastern Mennonite its first conference title since 2004 – also the last year EMU reached the tourney final, two years before Griffin arrived – it also cost it the ODAC’s automatic bid to the national tournament. And, even though the Royals had won 14 straight games and 21 overall entering Sunday, Griffin called their chances of an at-large bid “slim.”
The tournament field will be announced at 2:30 p.m. today.
It was a heart-wrenching loss for an EMU team that had beaten Guilford – which won its second straight ODAC title – handily twice this season.
“It was really quiet, girls were crying and stuff [in the locker room],” junior Bianca Ygarza said. “Just in disbelief that we lost. It all happened so suddenly.”
The Royals (21-6) led 54-49 after sophomore guard Raiven Patterson hit a jumper in the lane with 5:05 left. Then, they missed six straight field-goal attempts – including a few layups – as Guilford (24-4) went on a 10-2 run to lead 59-56 with 48 seconds left. It was the Quakers’ first lead since the 13:48 mark.
But it didn’t last long. On a set play from a Griffin timeout, EMU junior guard Steph Rheinheimer hit a tying 3-pointer from the top of the key with 32 seconds left after curling around a screen from Ygarza. It was EMU’s first 3-pointer in 10 tries and Rheinheimer’s first points of the night.
“I was having open shots early, but they just weren’t falling,” Rheinheimer said. “So I was just trying to get one more up.”
Then, it appeared that EMU had regained possession when Guilford was whistled for a five-second call on an out-of-bounds play – but, after a meeting, the referees ruled that GC coach Stephanie Flamini had called timeout. A Guilford player also appeared to be asking for timeout on the play.
Out of that timeout with 20.9 seconds left, Guilford senior guard Brittany Atwater dribbled near half-court for about 10 seconds before coming around a screen, knifing into the lane and hitting the game-winner.
“She [Flamini] told me to drive to the hole, and she said, ‘Either dish or go all the way up,’” Atwater said.
After another Griffin timeout with 2.8 seconds left, EMU in-bounded to Rheinheimer, who drove baseline and tried a difficult under-handed scoop shot in traffic that glanced off the front rim at the buzzer.
Patterson led EMU with 12 points in her first start of the season in place of injured sophomore guard Alisa Brown – the Royals’ best one-on-one defender, who probably would have guarded Atwater, Griffin said. Sophomore forward Shakeerah Sykes added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench as junior forward Kala Yoders had six points in 16 minutes limited by foul trouble.
Guilford, led by 20 points and 14 rebounds from junior center Morgan King and 13 points from Atwater, had much better success offensively than it did in the first two meetings, which EMU won 54-47 (Feb. 9) and 57-44 (Nov. 28). The Quakers didn’t hold a lead in the regular-season meetings but never trailed in the first half Sunday, shooting 50 percent in the period.
The Royals advanced to the championship game after beating Lynchburg 84-77 in overtime Saturday. A couple of players said fatigue didn’t bother them down the stretch.
“We were right there, and it just didn’t fall,” Griffin said. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Whether the Royals’ season is over depends on how other teams fared in their conference tournaments, plus the view of the national selection committee. There are just 20 at-large bids for the 64-team field.
Generally, regional ranking – there are six regions nationally – is a major factor for at-large teams. EMU was ranked fifth in the South Region this week; but it is the only one of the top eight South teams to get no votes in the D3hoops.com national poll.
“They need to get a bid because they’re strong, and they’ll do a great job in the NCAA tournament,” said GC coach Flamini, who’s on the South Region’s advisory committee that helps select the national tournament field.
GUILFORD
Oglesby 2-7 4-4 8, King 8-15 4-5 20, Adams 2-6 0-0 5, Atwater 5-10 3-4 13, Nucci 3-5 1-1 7, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Drew 0-2 2-2 2, Barker 0-0 0-0 0, Hardin 2-6 2-4 6, Weaver 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 16-20 61.
EASTERN MENNONITE
Patterson 4-10 4-7 12, Yoders 2-5 2-2 6, B. Ygarza 1-3 5-10 7, Baltimore 2-2 3-6 7, S. Rheinheimer 1-7 0-0 3, A. Ygarza 2-5 0-0 4, J. Rheinheimer 3-7 2-2 8, Osei 0-0 0-2 0, Zumfelde 0-1 2-2 2, Sykes 4-13 2-2 10. Totals 19-53 20-33 59.
Halftime-Guilford 36-24. 3-Point Goals-Guilford 1-4 (Adams 1-3, Atwater 0-1), EMU 1-10 (Patterson 0-1, S. Rheinheimer 1-5, J. Rheinheimer 0-3, Zumfelde 0-1). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Guilford 43 (King 14), EMU 26 (Sykes 8). Assists-Guilford 6 (Adams 3), EMU 10 (Patterson, B. Ygarza, Baltimore 3). Total Fouls-Guilford 24, EMU 18. A-481.
The top-seed Royals held a five-point lead over No. 2 seed Guilford with four minutes remaining in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game, then missed six of their last seven shots and gave up the game winner with 6.9 seconds left in a 61-59 loss Sunday at the Salem Civic Center.
Not only did the defeat deny Eastern Mennonite its first conference title since 2004 – also the last year EMU reached the tourney final, two years before Griffin arrived – it also cost it the ODAC’s automatic bid to the national tournament. And, even though the Royals had won 14 straight games and 21 overall entering Sunday, Griffin called their chances of an at-large bid “slim.”
The tournament field will be announced at 2:30 p.m. today.
It was a heart-wrenching loss for an EMU team that had beaten Guilford – which won its second straight ODAC title – handily twice this season.
“It was really quiet, girls were crying and stuff [in the locker room],” junior Bianca Ygarza said. “Just in disbelief that we lost. It all happened so suddenly.”
The Royals (21-6) led 54-49 after sophomore guard Raiven Patterson hit a jumper in the lane with 5:05 left. Then, they missed six straight field-goal attempts – including a few layups – as Guilford (24-4) went on a 10-2 run to lead 59-56 with 48 seconds left. It was the Quakers’ first lead since the 13:48 mark.
But it didn’t last long. On a set play from a Griffin timeout, EMU junior guard Steph Rheinheimer hit a tying 3-pointer from the top of the key with 32 seconds left after curling around a screen from Ygarza. It was EMU’s first 3-pointer in 10 tries and Rheinheimer’s first points of the night.
“I was having open shots early, but they just weren’t falling,” Rheinheimer said. “So I was just trying to get one more up.”
Then, it appeared that EMU had regained possession when Guilford was whistled for a five-second call on an out-of-bounds play – but, after a meeting, the referees ruled that GC coach Stephanie Flamini had called timeout. A Guilford player also appeared to be asking for timeout on the play.
Out of that timeout with 20.9 seconds left, Guilford senior guard Brittany Atwater dribbled near half-court for about 10 seconds before coming around a screen, knifing into the lane and hitting the game-winner.
“She [Flamini] told me to drive to the hole, and she said, ‘Either dish or go all the way up,’” Atwater said.
After another Griffin timeout with 2.8 seconds left, EMU in-bounded to Rheinheimer, who drove baseline and tried a difficult under-handed scoop shot in traffic that glanced off the front rim at the buzzer.
Patterson led EMU with 12 points in her first start of the season in place of injured sophomore guard Alisa Brown – the Royals’ best one-on-one defender, who probably would have guarded Atwater, Griffin said. Sophomore forward Shakeerah Sykes added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench as junior forward Kala Yoders had six points in 16 minutes limited by foul trouble.
Guilford, led by 20 points and 14 rebounds from junior center Morgan King and 13 points from Atwater, had much better success offensively than it did in the first two meetings, which EMU won 54-47 (Feb. 9) and 57-44 (Nov. 28). The Quakers didn’t hold a lead in the regular-season meetings but never trailed in the first half Sunday, shooting 50 percent in the period.
The Royals advanced to the championship game after beating Lynchburg 84-77 in overtime Saturday. A couple of players said fatigue didn’t bother them down the stretch.
“We were right there, and it just didn’t fall,” Griffin said. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Whether the Royals’ season is over depends on how other teams fared in their conference tournaments, plus the view of the national selection committee. There are just 20 at-large bids for the 64-team field.
Generally, regional ranking – there are six regions nationally – is a major factor for at-large teams. EMU was ranked fifth in the South Region this week; but it is the only one of the top eight South teams to get no votes in the D3hoops.com national poll.
“They need to get a bid because they’re strong, and they’ll do a great job in the NCAA tournament,” said GC coach Flamini, who’s on the South Region’s advisory committee that helps select the national tournament field.
GUILFORD
Oglesby 2-7 4-4 8, King 8-15 4-5 20, Adams 2-6 0-0 5, Atwater 5-10 3-4 13, Nucci 3-5 1-1 7, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Drew 0-2 2-2 2, Barker 0-0 0-0 0, Hardin 2-6 2-4 6, Weaver 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 16-20 61.
EASTERN MENNONITE
Patterson 4-10 4-7 12, Yoders 2-5 2-2 6, B. Ygarza 1-3 5-10 7, Baltimore 2-2 3-6 7, S. Rheinheimer 1-7 0-0 3, A. Ygarza 2-5 0-0 4, J. Rheinheimer 3-7 2-2 8, Osei 0-0 0-2 0, Zumfelde 0-1 2-2 2, Sykes 4-13 2-2 10. Totals 19-53 20-33 59.
Halftime-Guilford 36-24. 3-Point Goals-Guilford 1-4 (Adams 1-3, Atwater 0-1), EMU 1-10 (Patterson 0-1, S. Rheinheimer 1-5, J. Rheinheimer 0-3, Zumfelde 0-1). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Guilford 43 (King 14), EMU 26 (Sykes 8). Assists-Guilford 6 (Adams 3), EMU 10 (Patterson, B. Ygarza, Baltimore 3). Total Fouls-Guilford 24, EMU 18. A-481.