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Posts Tagged ‘NCAA-DIII’

The joyride continues!!

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2017| 3 Comments »

   Makana Stone (23), seen here earlier in the NCAA Championships, went for nine points and 11 rebounds Friday as Whitman rolled into the Elite Eight. (John Fisken photo)

They’re crying deep in the heart of Texas right now.

Sparked by fab frosh Makana Stone, who threw down nine points and snagged a game-high 11 rebounds, the Whitman College women’s basketball team pulled off a major upset Friday to roll into the Elite Eight.

Playing in frigid St. Paul, Minnesota, the #16 Blues stunned #7 Trinity University (Texas) 69-59 in the third round of the NCAA D-III women’s basketball championships.

Whitman improves to 26-4 and advances to play #2 St. Thomas (30-0), which nipped Marymount (Va.) 62-55.

Saturday’s match-up, played on the same floor at Schoenecker Arena, tips off at 5 PM Pacific time and can be streamed at:

http://tommiesports.com/broadcast/w7vf6i

Win there and the Blues are bound for the Final Four.

To make the jump from the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight, Whitman had to overcome some poor shooting and some questionable passing in the early going.

Instead, the Blues used their shut-down defense to frazzle the Tigers, who finished 28-2.

Whitman also shredded any semblance of a press Trinity tried to throw on them, with Casey Poe darting, weaving and constantly finding the right target to thwart Trinity.

Down 15-14 after one (Trinity hit a buzzer-beater to nab the lead), the Blues steadily pulled away after that.

A 16-14 edge in the second gave them a one-point lead at the break, before 17-13 and 22-17 advantages in the third and fourth, respectively, sealed the deal.

Once Whitman had the lead, they never let it go, stretching the margin from six to 10 points throughout the second half.

Stone, making the 13th start of her college career, used her time wisely, garnering seven points and seven boards during a well-played second half.

The former Coupeville star also collected two steals and picked up an assist on a nice feed to Emily Rommel, who finished with a team-high 16 points.

Poe added 14, while Chelsi Brewer banged away for 11.

In her first season of college ball, Stone has played in 29 games, scoring 202 points (7.0 a night) and grabbing 186 boards (6.4).

She’s #2 on the squad in rebounding, while also racking up 31 assists, 16 steals and 11 blocked shots.

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Stone dips into March Madness!!

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone (John Fisken photo)

   Makana Stone and Whitman are cruising into the NCAA D-III national tourney. (John Fisken photo)

The road to a national title will start with a familiar foe.

Whitman College, having received an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III Women’s Basketball National Tournament, will open play in Tacoma Friday against Northwest Conference rival George Fox.

The Blues (23-4) and Bruins (21-5) will be facing off for the fourth time this season, and third in the last two weeks.

Whitman, sparked by Coupeville grad Makana Stone, won two of three against George Fox, most recently knocking them out of the league tourney.

The other two teams playing in Tacoma Friday are site host Puget Sound (25-2), which won the NWC regular season title but was upended in the postseason tourney by Whitman, and the University of California-Santa Cruz (13-10).

Friday’s winners meet Saturday at the same regional, with the victor advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

There are four 27-0 teams in the 64-team tourney, with Amherst ranked #1 overall. Ohio Northern, Thomas More and St. Thomas (MN) are the other three unbeatens.

If Whitman gets on a roll, the earliest it could face an undefeated squad would be an Elite Eight match-up with St. Thomas.

The other three schools with perfect records sit on the opposite side of the bracket.

Stone made the jump from two-time Olympic League MVP in high school to college sensation with relative ease.

She’s played in 26 of 27 games (sitting out once for a concussion protocol), starting the last 10.

Stone has gone for 175 points (6.7 a night), 159 rebounds (6.1), 27 assists, 13 steals and 11 blocks. She’s #2 on the Blues in rebounding and field goal percentage (49% on 76 of 154 from the field).

To see the bracket, pop over to:

http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-women/d3

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Big-time win for Wolf grad!!

Posted in Baseball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on May 14, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell (Photo property of Saint John's University baseball)

   Former Cascade Conference MVP turned college hurler Ben Etzell. (Photo property of Saint John’s University baseball)

Big Ben came up big time in the spotlight.

Coupeville High School grad Ben Etzell got the start and the win Saturday as the Saint John’s University baseball squad crushed Saint Mary’s 11-4 to win its second consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title.

The Johnnies, now 28-12 on the season, advance to the NCAA D-III tourney May 18-21.

It’s the fifth time in school history they’ve punched their ticket to the big dance.

Etzell, a sophomore, got the ball and went 5.1 innings Saturday, striking out three and scattering nine hits.

With a little help from freshman reliever Jake Dickmeyer, who closed out the game for his first college save, Etzell improved to 3-1.

He’s struck out 36 batters over 41.2 innings of work this season, after going 1-0 with two saves as a freshman.

The Johnnies gave their hurler a lot of support Saturday, rapping out 13 hits and taking advantage of five Saint Mary’s errors.

Last year Saint John’s had to come back through the losers bracket to win the MIAC tourney, while this year they took the easier route, sweeping all three games they played.

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Benny and the champs!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on May 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell, during his days as the Wolf ace. (John Fisken photo)

Ben Etzell, during his days as the Wolf ace. (John Fisken photo)

(Ryan Coleman photo)

The Johnnies rush Etzell (4) after the last out. (Ryan Coleman photo)

Ben Etzell slammed the door.

A day after his former Coupeville High School baseball teammates had their season end, the one-time Cascade Conference MVP earned the save Sunday as Saint John’s University won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournament title.

Storming back through the loser’s bracket, the Johnnies became only the second team in 16 years to lose their tourney opener and come back for the title.

To do it, and earn an automatic invitation to the NCAA D-III playoffs, Saint John’s (26-14) had to win twice Sunday at Veterans Field in Minnetonka.

They did just that, toppling Saint Thomas 9-6 in the morning and 5-1 in the afternoon.

With the Johnnies clinging to a 3-1 lead with one out in the eighth inning in the nightcap, Etzell pulled off his best Mariano Rivera.

He induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning, then set the Toms down in order in the ninth, with one of the outs coming his favorite way, via the punch-out.

During his freshman year, he has pitched in seven games, including the last three days.

Over 10 innings, Etzell has struck out seven while walking three and is 1-0 with two saves and an ERA of 2.70.

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