March 23, 2007

Defense to Highlight National Championship Game

Owls, Eagles Each Led By All-American # 34

      Kearney, Neb. –  There is a saying in sports that defense wins championships. Heading into tomorrow's NCAA Division II women's basketball national championship game, that famous saying would seem to hold true.

      The top-ranked Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (34-0) give up just 45.7 points per game with the 7^th-ranked Southern Connecticut State Owls (33-2) allowing 49.9 points a night.

      FGCU, aiming to be the second-ever D2 women's program to go unbeaten through an entire year, has seen just three opponents get to 60 points this year. On the flip side, SCSU has held six straight schools under 61 points.

      The game tips off at 5:00 p.m. and will be shown live nationally on ESPN 2. Dave Armstrong will handle play-by-play duties with former Loper Brenda VanLengen serving as color analyst.

      Both teams also are led by All-Americans who were jersey number 34.

      For Southern Connecticut, that player is junior forward Kate Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) and for the Eagles, senior forward Katie Schrader (Ft. Collins, Colo.) dons # 34.

      In the Elite 8, Lynch has recorded back-to-back double doubles (49 points, 22 rebounds) with Schrader going for 45 points on 67 percent shooting from the floor.

      Lynch came into the tournament averaging 17.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game with Schrader at 17.2 points per game and shooting 63 percent from the field.    

      Offensively, FGCU likes to get up and down the court and has an array of excellent perimeter shooters. To average 81 points, the Eagles sink nearly 10 threes a game.

      With no one standing over 5-11 on the team, the Eagles have been out rebounded in each Elite 8 game. Southern would appear to have an advantage inside with posts Babette Noah (Cameroon) and Rochelle Johnson (Norwalk, Conn.).

      The Owls, a bit more deliberate on offense (68.8 ppg), have several options surrounding Lynch. Former Boston College Eagle Shamika Jackson, an honorable mention All-American this year, is a 6-1 guard that provides problems at both ends of the court.

      Guards LaShauna Jones (Middletown, Conn.) and Michelle Martinik (Monroe, Conn.) have knocked down threes and provided solid all-around play in the first two Elite 8 games.

       Mean while, FGCU has one of the best freshmen in the country in Steffi Sorenson (Jacksonville, Fla.). The 5-10 guard/forward has made several big plays in the Elite 8 and has scored a total of 31 points in the first two rounds.

      A deep team, Gulf Coast also features talented guard Alex Nelson (Scotland) and versatile post Delia De La Torre (Las Cruces, N.M.).

      Finally, a win by either team would break long dry spells for their respective regions. The South Region last stood on top in 1992 (Delta State, Miss.) with the Northeast Region claiming the top prize in 1987 (U. of New Haven).

       The Northeast was represented in last year's final as AIC (American International College) fell to Grand Valley State of Michigan.