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RADNOR, Pa. – The Cabrini women's basketball team has advanced to the championship game of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament for the third consecutive season with a 70-52 victory against Cedar Crest College Wednesday at Nerney Field House. With first-year head coach Bernadette Laukaitis, the Cavaliers have reached the 22-win plateau for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
Top-seeded Cabrini will host second-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy College in the championship game at Nerney Field House Saturday, February 28. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
The Cabrini attack boasted five scorers in double figures versus the Falcons, including a team-high 16 points from senior forward Kayleen Smith. Smith also grabbed eight boards and dished four assists.
Senior forward Brittany McLeod notched her team-leading ninth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and totaling 10 rebounds. McLeod anchored the Cavaliers' defense with a game-high four blocked shots.
Junior shooting guard Kate Walck played an efficient all-around floor game, tallying 14 points, four assists, three blocks and three steals. Junior shooting guard Alyssa Brady collected 10 points and six boards.
Senior guard Nikki Duggan recorded a season-high 14 points and pulled the Cavaliers out of a sluggish offensive start to the contest. Duggan shot 4-for-6 from three-point range, converting her first three triples during a less than two minute stretch in the opening half.
Duggan subbed into the game at the 12:56 mark with the score knotted, 8-8. After her long-range spree against the Cedar Crest zone, Cabrini paced the Falcons, 19-14, at the 10:32 mark. Despite the spark from the bench, the Cavaliers limped to a 30-23 advantage at the intermission, failing to score in the final 5:16.
However, the second half proved to be a different story. The Cavaliers shot better than 41 percent from the field and out-scored Cedar Crest by 11 points. The Cabrini defense also displayed a clear sense of urgency throughout and forced the visitors into 21 turnovers overall.
The Blue & White capitalized on the Falcons' miscues on the offensive ending, resulting in a 27-4 advantage in scoring off giveaways. The Cavaliers stretched its lead to 10 points, 50-40, after a steal and trifecta from Duggan with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Cabrini out-scored Cedar Crest 18-8 down the stretch. The Cavaliers pushed their cushion to 14 points, 64-50, following a lay-in from Smith at the 3:54 mark.
With Smith and McLeod inside, the Cavaliers established an inside presence, tallying 32 points in the paint versus 21 from the Falcons. Cabrini also out-ran Cedar Crest, 12-3, on the break.
The Blue & White will look to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years for the first time since the 1996 and 1997 postseasons. The Cavaliers advanced to the national tournament three straight seasons from 1995-97.
The CSAC championship pairing will be a familiar sight. Cabrini and Gwynedd-Mercy has met for the conference title the last three seasons, each team winning one crown. The Cavaliers and Griffins split their regular season encounters, each winning on the opposition's floor.
