Assumption College Women's Basketball vs Queens (N.Y.) Tournament Primer

            After falling to Le Moyne 62-54 in the NE-10 championship quarterfinals game, the Assumption College women’s basketball team earned an at-large bid in the East Region of Division II Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. The Greyhounds received the seventh seed in the region. They will take on second seed Queens (N.Y.) on Friday March 10 at 2:30 p.m.

            The Greyhounds received a favorable matchup in this tournament. The East Region is most susceptible to upset and most wide open out of all four regions. The number one seed Adelphi lost their season finale against American International 54-51. Assumption defeated Adelphi 63-58 during the regular season in and overtime thriller on January 28. The Greyhounds also beat Queens (N.Y.) during the regular season 67-59 back in November. They led that game 38-28 at half. Queens (N.Y.) also had their 16-game winning streak snapped during their conference tournament.

            Bentley University, the three seed, lost to Adelphi in the NE-10 Championship game, snapping a 14-game winning streak. Bentley defeated Assumption twice during the regular season. Fourth seed Caldwell lost to the University of the Sciences—the sixth seed in the tournament—in their conference tournament as well. Molloy is currently on a four-game winning streak. They lost to one and won one to Queens (N.Y.) during the regular season while also defeating Bentley University and Caldwell. However, they lost to Adelphi 66-61 on November 30.

            The moral of the story is that any one of these teams can win on any given day. There is no one dominant team in the East Region, such as Ashland (31-0) in the Midwest Region or Alaska Anchorage (29-1) in the Great Northwest Region. Many of these teams have faced off during the regular season and not one team has dominated play, illustrated by recent snapped winning streaks and upset regular season wins. The Greyhounds also have a favorable matchup in Queens (N.Y.). Out of all of the teams in the East Region, Assumption has a favorable matchup defensively against this team. The team runs its offense through the Rowland sisters, Madison and MacKenzie Rowland. Contain them, and the Greyhounds have a real shot at the upset.

            The two Rowland sisters combine for a 50% shooting percentage, a statistical anomaly over a 28-game season, especially as they combine for 882 attempts. Without the Rowland sisters, Queens (N.Y.) is shooting 322-906, or 35%. To compete, it is critical to take the ball out of the Rowland sisters’ hands. Force other players to shoot. Also, the Greyhounds should force them to shoot beyond the three-point line. Last time the two teams met, Queens (N.Y.) shot only 20% from beyond the arc. They’ve shot 31% from beyond the arc throughout the entire season.

            If the Greyhounds continue to play through seniors Jo Impellizeri and Allison Stoddard, the Greyhounds have a real shot at making this a game and completing the upset. They need Stoddard to command the game on the offensive side while Impellizeri commands the game on the defensive side. Look for a thriller in the Garden City on Friday and throughout the East Region. This is the most open region in the tournament and the Greyhounds received a favorable matchup.

Adam Lewis

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