Christendom overcame a slow start with a big third quarter to earn a 60-48 victory over Central Maine Community College in a USCAA Small College Division-II women’s basketball semifinal Tuesday in Petersburg, Virginia.
The Crusaders (26-5) advance to face Johnson & Wales in the national championship game Wednesday at 8:15 p.m., while the three-time national champion Mustangs (28-2) fall short of the title game for the second consecutive year.
Third-seeded CMCC held seventh-seeded Christendom to six points in Tuesday’s opening quarter and took a 17-6 lead into the second. The Mustangs still led at halftime, 31-24.
Christendom coach Mary Minick said in a postgame interview that the Crusaders had barely scouted third-seeded CMCC, and did not know what to expect going into Tuesday’s game. She also noted that the number of turnovers the Crusaders committed in the first half (12) is about as many as they typically have in an entire game.
The Crusaders opened the second half on a 12-2 run to build a 36-33 lead and outscored CMCC 27-9 in the third quarter to take a commanding 51-40 advantage into the final quarter.
The Mustangs’ defense limited Christendom’s top scorer, Catherine Thomas, and to 11 points. Mary Pennefather, the Crusaders’ second-leading scorer, picked up the slack and put up a game-high 25 points. Regina Bonvissuto added 14 points and Miranda Keller scored 10.
CMCC’s offense struggled after halftime, committing seven of its 11 turnovers in the third quarter, and then making only 3 of 17 shots from the field in the fourth.
Tuesday’s game is the Mustangs’ lowest-scoring of the season. They shot 30.9% from the field and made only 3 of their 22 attempts from 3-point range.
Edward Little graduate Chantel Ouellette led the Mustangs with 10 points, while Ella Lavigne, who scored 26 in Monday’s quarterfinal victory, was held to eight points. Jolien Defoort scored seven off the bench.
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