Thursday, March 26, 1992
Lady Lions take ECAC
championship
by Paul Benim
The Collegian
i
Last September, the 14
members of the women's
basketball team set a goal to
make the ECAC tournament.
The Lady Lions achieved that
goal, and were the first team to
ever participate in post-season
play.
In first round action, the squad
blasted Wesley College to score
the college's first ever playoff
win.
With the win, the Lady Lions
advanced to the championship
game of the Southern Region. In
front of a full house in Erie Hall,
the Lady Lions defeated a solid
Frostburg State (22-6) team by
the score of 61-48.
Frostburg State came in to the
championship game on a 19-1
stretch since break, but that didn't
matter. Frostburg had won 11
straight ball games, but that
didn’t matter. Frostburg started a
front line that ran 6T”, 6’o", and
6T", but that didn't matter either.
The Lady Lions played 40
minutes of 94 feet of pressure
defense, and that is what did
matter.
The Lady Lions were all over
the court, pressuring the guards,
fronting hard in the post, diving
on the floor, plaguing the
passing lanes, and working
(extremely hard on the defensive
side.
The team defense held the
Bobcats to only 37 percent
shooting from the floor. The
defense also forced 19 Frostburg
turnovers, came up with 17
steals, and held Frostburg to a
measley seven offensive boards.
As for the height of the
Frostburg front line, it didn't
matter either. Behrend only
permitted one shot on Frostburg's
offensive end.
"Defense has been our key all
year. Our entire team commits
to playing it and simply busts on
defensive end of the court,"
commented head coach Jenepher
Banker.
Behrend began the game hot, as
usual. The 10-2 start in favor of
the Lady Lions began with a
Kimberly Boyd jumper. A Krista
Hershner six-footer, and a Karen
Strait put back opened the game.
Frostburg State fought back
and managed a 14-14 deadlock
with 11:53 remaining in the first
half.
Men's tennis team
victory; defeat Mt.
*t>y Greg Geibel
The Collegian
The men's tennis team scored
their first victory of the season
Saturday against Mt. Union, by a
score of 9-0.
"I think that it was just a
question of being more prepared
than they were,” said team
The final three minutes of the
half allowed Behrend to open up a
12 point lead.
A Darcie Bradley pass went to
Strait for a lay-up. A Wendy
Ebinger steal was converted into
another easy two.
The Lady Lions held a 23-13
advantage in the rebound
department at the conclusion of
the first half. Behrend has
received outstanding bench play
all season and this night was no
different
Center Anne Bonner came off
the bench to hit for ten first half
markers and forward Missy
Thompson grabbed an
authoratative six first half boards.
Frostburg started the first half
hitting for the first four points to
cut the deficit to single digits.
The Lady Lions wouldn't break.
The defense and blocking out
was very frustrating for the out
of-towners. The Lady Lions got
some timely three-point bombs
from what seemed like the
parking lot.
Back to back threes by Swartz
and Ebinger hit the Bobcats hard.
A Hershner steal and pass to a
driving Boyd again upped the
margin to double-digits.
Behrend was tough on the
boards, and the Lady Lions
outrebounded the bigger Bobcats
by a decisive 40-27.
"Behrend's defense smothered
us," said Frostburg State coach
Jim Crawley. "We scored just
two points in the game's first
eight minutes, and two in the last
four of the first half. You can't
do that and expect to win against
a talented team like Behrend."
Behrend hit a solid 21 of 53
from the floor for a respectable
40 percent shooting chart and a
nice 79 percent from the charity
stripe. For the game, Swartz hit
four of five from trey land and
finished with game high honors
and 17 points.
Tourney MVP Anne Bonner
hit four of five from the floor to
finish with 12 to go along with
her eight boards and five steals
from the interior. Boyd issued
another solid performance hitting
four of six to net 10. Strait
snagged seven rebounds, one
more than teammate Heather
Shearer.
"This is a tremendous
accomplishment for Behrend
College, my friends and
teammates, they all deserve this,"
commented Ebinger. "They work
captain Chuck Keenan.
Last year, Mt. Union defeated
Behrend by a score of 6-3.
"I think that our recent victory
against them is a pretty good
indication of our potential,"
continued Keenan.
The men's tennis team has
been preparing for the season by
playing in many tournaments and
Sports
extremely hard every day as a
group, and going out on top as
ECAC Champs is an awesome
feeling!" she continued.
As the remaining seconds
dissipated, it was thriling to see
the jubilation, the smiles on the
faces of the players, friends, and
families who have been
wonderful supporters of Lady
Lion Basketball.
In a year of firsts it couldn't
have ended any better. The Lady
Lions set records for most wins
(23), best winning percentage
(.851), fewest losses (4),
consecutive wins (8), most steals
(343), and most turnovers forced
(657). They also snagged
championship trophies at the
Frostburg State Invitational, the
Arby's Integra Invitational, and it
was capped, deservingly so, with
the school's first ever ECAC
Championship.
The Lady Lions made good use
of their first appearance in the
post-season by destroying Wesley
College of Delaware. The Lady
Lions outhustled, outmaneuvered,
and outsmarted their opponents.
Hershner got the Lady Lions
rolling. The three guard hit a
layin, followed it up with a
rebound put-back, and drained a
baseline jumper. In all, she
scored Behrend's first ten points.
Shearer boarded seven at the half.
The Lady Lions controlled the
first twenty and led 32-23 at the
intermission.
In the second half, the Lady
Lions just overmatched the
Wolverines. Behrend held
Wesley to a pathetic 18 second
half points and pushed the ball up
the court and ran Wesley right
out of the gym.
The Lady Lions racked up 39
second half points to cruise to a
71-41 victory.
Boyd netted 10 points and
dished out four assists. Bonner
and Strait scored eight each. The
team set a season high
rebounding total with 57.
Shearer led with 10, Bonner
snatched eight, senior Michelle
Beisler grabbed seven, and
Michelle Grover six.
The Lady Lions also dished out
a lofty 30 assists on the evening
with point guard Ebinger leading
the way with six.
nets first
Union
against Division II schools, such
as Edinboro.
"Coach Gallegos keeps
informing us that a 'hungry lion
hunts best,' and with our recent
victories and practice games, that
certainly seems to be the case,”
said Keenan.
Lady Lions softball
returns home
The Lady Lion softball team
returned from a spring break trip
down the east coast of Florida
with a record of 5-1. They are
prepared to make a run at yet
another successful campaign.
The softball-nine, 61-31 over
Coach Brett Banker's first three
seasons, return nine letter
winners from last year’s 19-10
team.
This year's team should pitch
better, play defense much better,
have more team speed, but need
to show their collective muscle at
the plate to be considered for
post-season play, something they
hope to demonstrate.
As many as five freshman
could land starting spots in the
regular lineup, something Coach
Banker is not concerned about.
"Recruiting has given us the
opportunity to remain very
consistent each season,"
explained Coach Banker.
"Looking back two years,
which is when you organize your
recruiting objectives, I realized
that the class of '9l would be
difficult to replace. You don't
snap your fingers and make up
three career .300 hitters (Tammy
Altsman, Jen Mowris, and Erica
Scribner).
"The incoming players are
high quality players. They come
from solid programs, were taught
well, played a lot of ball over the
summer months, and love the
game. They immediately lift our
program up and should help
solidify our lineup for years to
come."
Returners that saw action in
the starting lineup last year are
first baseman Melanie Dunn,
shortstop Darcie Bradley,
cemterfielder Kim Boyd, pitchers
Sport Shorts
Sign up now for intramural swimming and
modified pitch softball. Swimming offers
men's, women’s, and coed team opportunities.
You can also enter any one of the nine events
on your own.
There will only be men's and women's
leagues offered for modified pitch softball.
Entry deadline for both is Friday, April 3 at 4:00 p.m.
Hey badminton and street hockey fans! Get
your teams ready now! Badminton offers
men's and women's singles and men's,
women's, and coed doubles.
There will only be men's and women's
leagues for street hockey. Entry deadline for
both is Friday, April 10 at 4:00 p.m.
Sign up in the intramural
Attention all Tour, de France hopefuls! The
Cycling Club will be holding its first race on
April 29. Sponsored by Carnegie Mellon
University, the race will be held at Slippery
Rock University.
Page 15
Beth Balizet and Lori Wolfe, and
catcher Kellie Jordan. Lori
Nadolny, Lisa VanderSchaaff, and
Sue Dyer are also returners who
played key roles in the success of
last year's team.
The newcomers include a solid
trio from North Allegheny High
in Wexford, a program that
finished 14-3 last season.
Sue Mazur, Terry Pegher, and
Casey Puttemann were all
selected Pittsburgh Post Gazette
first team all-stars after their
senior seasons. Mazur, a high
school shortstop, hit .455 for
NA, picking up 20 hits in 17
contests.
Megan Musante, Kelly Orga,
Cherie Varrassa, Karen Strait, are
all first year players expected to
contribute solid numbers as well.
Strait, another high school
standout shortstop, adds another
solid overall game and carries a
big bat into the lineup. Strait hit
.475 in her final year at Southern
Fulton High.
"This team can develop into a
group that pushes us into that
twenty win season," Banker adds
(after putting up 18, 19, and 19
wins the last three years).
"Depending on our schedule,
weather, and other considerations,
this group could mature into a
very good team. I expect that
from them.
"The pressure they face is
from the history of the program,
and knowing that excellence is
expected. That is a totally
different kind of pressure to face.
Success on the field and in the
classroom (last year’s team earned
the 6th best gpa in the country
for Division 111 softball). We're
young, but we’ll grow up fast.”
office!