Saint seniors (left to right) Cara Barbierri, Meredith Eisenhut, Nicole Leary and Jen Janeway pose with the NCAA Runner-up Trophy after losing a two-point game to Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS NCAA RUNNER-UP March 16 —It wasn't supposed to end this way. Cara Barbierri intercepted an inbounds pass with just 1.0 seconds left on the clock and took a shot from almost 30 feet away, but it bounced off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded. Wisconsin-Stevens Point escaped with a 67-65 win over the Saints in the NCAA Division III women's basketball championship game in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Hulbert Arena (Terre Haute, IN) on Saturday night.

It's easy to wish that shot had gone in. But the fact that the Saints had that final shot at all is an incredible statement about the character that Saint head coach G.P. Gromacki has on his team.

Barbierri's career, along with that of three other seniors ended as the buzzer sounded with a loss. It doesn't seem appropriate for a group who, along with Gromacki, had gone 98-20 in four years entering the game.

"I'm so proud of my team," said Gromacki. "I can't believe we lost, but I can't believe we got here either. I only wish I could have taken them one step further."

Gromacki is being a bit too hard on himself. The fact that the Saints even had a chance to win the game was an impressive feat after falling behind by 12 points at halftime. Stevens Point ate up the usually stingy St. Lawrence defense, scoring 37 first half points and shooting 59% from the field.

"In the first half they got some easy buckets," Gromacki said. "They were getting shots that our defense usually doesn't allow, but you have to give them credit. They're the best; they're national champs."

While the Pointers earned the national title, the Saints forced them to play their style of basketball in the second half, which resulted in the comeback attempt.

"The defense we played in the first half isn't the defense we play," said Barbierri, who made the All-Tournament Team and scored 16 points in the championship game. "It's tough going out as a senior with that being your last shot. But we got that shot, and that was important to us. We came back and had a chance to win, and that was important to all of us."

The Pointers appeared to put the game away when they took a 67-63 lead with 9.5 seconds remaining in the game. But Barbierri gave the Saints one last chance when she got an offensive rebound and put in a layup with one second remaining to set up the final play.

The Saints trailed by as many as 14, but cut the lead down to one point twice in the game. Aliza Bogdanich hit a shot to make the score 58-57 with 5:37 to play, and Jessica Zuk hit a pair of free throws with 1:26 left, making the score 64-63. But the Pointers responded to both situations with two points on their next possession, and the Saints could never gain a lead after taking a 2-0 lead on a pair of free throws by Meredith Eisenhut less than a minute into the game.

St. Lawrence created the comeback opportunity with free throw shooting, going 24-for-27 from the line, a .889 foul shooting percentage. Aliza Bogdanich led the way for the Saints, making all eight of her attempts and scoring 10 points. Megan Dietrichsen went 6-for-6 from the line and scored 16 points. Dietrichsen added nine rebounds and was also selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Dietrichsen, along with fellow junior Katie Griffith, played some her best basketball of the season this weekend. The pair will be the only seniors on next year's team, and Dietrichsen had a difficult time imagining the team without Barbierri, Eisenhut, Nicole Leary and Jen Janeway.

"They're not just great players," said Dietrichsen. "They're great leaders. They're great people. Everyone is going to have to remember how it felt to get to this game, and how it feels now."

While it may be tough to swallow now, this team can always say that they were the second best team in the country, and the best in the history of St. Lawrence's women's basketball program. The 28-4 record is the best ever posted by a St. Lawrence team, and the championship game appearance was the first in team history.

SAINTS BEAT DEPAUW, WILL FACE WIS. STEVENS POINT FOR DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP

Megan Dietrichsen (right) and Aliza Bogdanich celebrate St. Lawrence's semifinal win.

March 15 — The dream of a national championship continues for the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team after a 69-54 win over DePauw University in the national semifinals on Friday night in Hulbert Arena on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Saints will face Wisconsin-Stevens Point for the NCAA championship on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Pointers defeated Marymount 80-57 in the first semifinal game. St. Lawrence head coach G.P. Gromacki has talked all season about his senior leadership, and they were the difference tonight. Cara Barbierri led all scorers with 17 points, Meredith Eisenhut scored 14 points, and Nicole Leary added 13 points, and the trio combined to shoot 17-for-30 from the field.

"This group of players has been in the NCAA Tournament every season," Gromacki said. "Two years ago we made the Elite Eight, so even though this is our first Final Four, we'd been here before."

That experience helped the Saints keep the lead for the entire second half. DePauw's fans, which had just over a half hour trip from their own campus, outnumbered St. Lawrence supporters, but despite the home-court feel of the game, the Tigers never trimmed the lead to less than ten points in the second half.

"We didn't panic, even when the crowd did get going," said Gromacki. "Our players never let this Indiana crowd take us out of it. We played defensive basketball like we have all year. We held a team that shot 46% from the field all year to under 33% from the field. They've averaged over 70 points a game this season, and we held them to 54 points. I'm so proud of this team."

Defense got the Saints rolling with 6:13 left in the first half, as DePauw managed just five points over a ten minute span including the first minutes of the second half. The Saints scored 22 points during that time. Eisenhut forced a turnover, dove to the ground for the ball and rolled to Katie Griffith for an easy layup early in the first half. For Gromacki, that play told the story of the game.

"Our team has so much heart," he said. "You see Meredith out there diving for loose balls. Everyone has worked so hard for this and it all comes down to one game."

The Saints held DePauw's starting five to just 5-for-30 shooting from the field. The Tigers, however, had help off the bench, with Lindsey Rush and Dana Ferguson scoring 16 points apiece.

Eisenhut, who was named the WBCA Division III Player of the Year on Thursday night, continued her free throw shooting streak, going 5-for-5 from the line. She has made 29 consecutive free throws, dating back to the Saints second round win over Case Western. She added four steals, three assists and two blocks on Friday night.

"At first I thought I'd feel a lot of pressure," Eisenhut said of being honored before the weekend's games. "But once the game started, I never thought about it. We were just trying to get a win to advance to the championship."

St. Lawrence had 13 blocks in the game, led by Leary, who had five and Megan Dietrichsen, who added four. The interior players will be the focus on Saturday night, as Stevens Point has four players at least six feet tall.

EISENHUT NAMED THE WBCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

March 14 — The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that senior point guard Meredith Eisenhut from St. Lawrence University has been named the WBCA Division III Player of the Year. WBCA presents this award annually to the top players in each of the five WBCA collegiate divisions (Divisions I, II, III, NAIA and JC/CC) at its National Convention, held annually in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four. Eisenhut was already named the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year and was a d3hoops.com First Team All-East Region selection. She is also a member of the UCAA All-Academic team and the Division III Kodak All-America team.

"I think this is more than an individual award," said Eisenhut. "Obviously only one person can get it, buy you have to be part of a great team to get this."

"It's unbelievable," said head coach G.P. Gromacki. "When I got the message I was speechless. Meredith deserves it though. Obviously she has natural ability but she also works harder than anyone I know. She's a team player. I'm sure she knows she achieved this with the help of her teammates and they are very proud of her just like I am."

In addition to earning both national and UCAA player of the year accolades, she set school records for points with 1,445, steals with 460 and assists with 410 to this point of her career. In her senior season, she is averaging 12.8 points per game, 4.2 assists per game and was ranked third in the nation in steals with 4.9 per game as of Feb. 25. She has excelled in the classroom as well, earning UCAA All-Academic honors.

"Meredith is an outstanding athlete. Her credentials both on and off the court speak for themselves," said WBCA Chief Executive Officer Beth Bass. "We are extremely pleased to present Meredith with the WBCA Player of the Year award."

As a junior, Eisenhut was the first player, male of female, to earn UCAA Player of the Year honors in three sports- soccer, basketball and softball. She was named regional All-America and earned UCAA All-Academic honors in those three sports as well. In addition, she was named a Robbins-ECAC Scholar Athlete.

In 112 career games, she has averaged 12.9 points, 4.1 steals, 3.7 assists and shot 44 percent from the field. She is a 73.9 percent career free throw shooter, shooting a career best and team best 81.5 percent from the line this season. Eisenhut has made her last 24 free throws and had an NCAA record 20-for-20 performance in the Saints regional championship win over Bowdoin.

The Saints are making their first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance this weekend. St. Lawrence takes on DePauw in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament on Friday, March 15, at 8:00 p.m.

However, Gromacki doesn't think the award will be a distraction for Eisenhut. "Meredith will handle this because she would rather win a national championship than individual honors. She wants to share that with her teammates," said the fourth-year head coach.

"I don't think it will be a distraction, but I do feel more pressure now. But that still shouldn't affect the way we play tomorrow. We have to play our game tomorrow like we have all season," said the senior guard.

As the winner of the WBCA National College Player of the Year award, Eisenhut has been invited to play in the 2002 WBCA All-Star Challenge, a game that showcases the best players in Division I as well as the national players of the year in Division II and III. That game is scheduled for Saturday, March 30 at the University of Texas.

"It's going to be amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing what Division III basketball is like compared to Division I and II," said Eisenhut.

Eisenhut still has some games left with the Saints though, as they take on DePauw on Friday night at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana. The game can be heard in the Canton-Potsdam area on WPAC 92.7 FM or by listening to the broadcast through the St. Lawrence website.

TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE
FINAL FOUR IN TERRE HAUTE

March 11 — The St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team will face DePauw on Friday at 8 p.m. at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana in the NCAA semifinals. The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and Marymount will play in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. The winners will play in the championship game at 8 p.m. on Saturday, with consolation game tipping off at 5:30 p.m.

There are 250 tickets available through the St. Lawrence athletic department. These tickets may be reserved through Cheryl Kennedy at (315) 229-5418. These tickets, however, must be paid for by Thursday at noon. Other tickets are available through Rose-Hulman, but there are only about 500 remaining. These tickets may be reserved at the door by calling Rose-Hulman at (812) 877-8054 and purchasing by credit card over the phone. Tickets are $10 per person for each day of competition, or a total of $20 for all four games on the weekend.

SAINTS HEADING TO FINAL FOUR AFTER ANOTHER COMEBACK WIN

March 9 — Meredith Eisenhut has outdone herself this time.

The senior guard from Mohawk, NY, led the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team to its first NCAA Final Four appearance with an NCAA Division III record 20-for-20 performance from the free throw line. She led all scorers with 25 points and added six steals in a 64-51 win over Bowdoin College in the Northeast Regional championship at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.

For the second consecutive game, the Saints trailed their opponent in the second half, but used a big run to pull out the win. Bowdoin had a 42-35 lead when Jessie Mayol hit a pair of free throws with 10:14 to play. But the Saints responded by going on a 16-0 run in the next 7:35 of playing time. Eisenhut hit eight free throws during the stretch.

"Last night I was getting on her a little," said Saint head coach G.P. Gromacki. "I told her to play like she was capable of playing and lay it all on the line. I can't say enough about what she means to this team."

Eisenhut made just two shots from the field, and the Saints only made 14 as they shot just 27.5% from the field. But they did hold Bowdoin, ranked No. 2 nationally by D3Hoops.com at the end of the regular season, to just 28.6% shooting.

"It was a great defensive game by both teams," said Gromacki. "You don't win many games when you shoot under 30%, but we did a great job making their post players work to get their points, especially in the second half."

Eisenhut made 14 of her free throws in the second half, including one that bounced high off the rim three times before rolling in.

The Saints also scored 24 points off turnovers, 15 of which came in the second half.

"We stuck to our game," said Gromacki. "Our game plan was to make work them move the ball up the court. We didn't want to give them anything. We started owning the boards later in the second half too, and that held them to just one shot each time down the floor."

Eisenhut was named the Most Valuable Player of the Northeast Regional, and Cara Barbierri also made the All-Tournament Team. Barbierri scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added three steals and three assists in Saturday's game. Megan Dietrichsen added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Saints, and played tough defense on Bowdoin's Kristi Royer, who also made the All-Tournament Team. Dietrichsen had three blocks in the game.

"Meg played a great defensive game," Gromacki said. "We were watching Royer last night, and we knew that she was a solid interior player. Megan really buckled down on her in the second half and forced her to work for everything she got."

Royer, who scored 17 points in the game, was held to 1-for-5 shooting in the second half.

The Final Four trip is the farthest the program has ever gone. Gromacki, who is in his fourth year with the Saints, got the team to the Elite Eight in the 2000 season, and took the team one step farther today.

"I don't know how to describe it," said Gromacki. "But we're not just satisfied getting to the Final Four. Our goal is to win very game. Our team has a lot of confidence that we can do that, and I think it showed this weekend. We were down in some pressure situations, and we came up big."

The Saints will play the winner of the Great Lakes Regional, either Wilmington or DePauw, in the semifinals on Friday.

SAINTS ADVANCE BEHIND EISENHUT'S LATE HEROICS

March 8 — For the second game in a row, the St. Lawrence University women's basketball team used a big first half run to gain an early lead in an NCAA tournament game.

That's where the similarities end.

St. Lawrence, down by as many as 11 points in the second half, beat Ohio Wesleyan University 57-56 in the sectional semifinals at Springfield College in Springfield MA on Friday night. The Saints will take on 26-1 Bowdoin College, a 64-50 winner over Springfield in the sectional championship game Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Saints led Ohio Wesleyan by seven at halftime, but that lead quickly disappeared as Ohio Wesleyan went on a 24-6 run to open the second half. St. Lawrence's Cara Barbierri fouled out of the game during that run, which ended when Michelle Wolfe hit a three point shot with just 6:32 left in the game.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy to come back," said Saint coach G.P. Gromacki. "It seemed like none of the bounces were going our way. We made great passes to the interior and out layups were just rolling out. But, we have great senior leadership. Even with Cara on the bench, I knew that our seniors would come up with big plays."

Gromacki's seniors did not disappoint him, or the crowd of 898, most of whom were St. Lawrence supporters.

Nicole Leary hit two consecutive jump shots and Meredith Eisenhut hit two 3-point shots during a 16-1 run. Eisenhut hit her second three pointer of the run off an in-bounds pass to give the Saints a 55-53 lead with 55 seconds to play. She added a pair of free throws with just 2.7 seconds left to give the Saints a four-point cushion; one she probably didn't know the Saints needed. Kelly Heil lofted a desperation shot from near halfcourt as time expired to pull the Bishops back to within one.

"It was an incredible game, and we're excited to be moving on to the Elite Eight,: said Gromacki. "I doubt Meredith knew how important those final two free throws were."

Eisenhut led all scorers with 17 points, eight of which came in the last five minutes of the game. Megan Dietrichsen added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Saints and also broke up an inbounds pass by Ohio Wesleyan with 5.7 seconds to play which set up Eisenhut's final free throws of the game.

Last Saturday the Saints used a 13-0 run in just 86 seconds of playing time to gain a 15-2 lead over Case Western. In Friday's game, the Saints went on a 15-0 run to take a 19-4 lead halfway through the first half. Although Case Western was able to trim the Saint lead to six in the Saints' first NCAA game of the year, they never got within striking distance. Ohio Wesleyan , however, came right back, outscoring the Saints 20-6 to pull within one.

"We knew they would come back on us," said Gromacki. "They've been in this situation before. Buffalo State had a 14-0 lead on them in the first round, but they came back to win. We were happy to take that early lead, but we knew there was plenty of basketball left to play."

The Saints were able to create nine turnovers in the final 6:03 which gave them the opportunity to make their own comeback. Eisenhut, who finished the season ranked third nationally with 4.9 steals per game, had eight steals, while Katie Griffith had three. Katy Sturtz led the Bishops with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Tiffany Barbee added 12 points and Wolfe scored 11 while Heil scored 10 for the Bishops, who finish their year 21-8.

The Saints, now 26-3, await the next step.

EISENHUT EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONOR

March 2 — Senior guard Meredith Eisenhut was selected by the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball coaches at the UCAA Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Eisenhut leads the Saints with 12.2 points, 4.4 assists and 4.9 steals per game. She finished the regular season ranked third nationally in steals per game, and has set St. Lawrence career records in 1,403 points, 406 assists and 423 steals. Eisenhut has made the All-UCAA First Team in each of the last four years for the Saints.

Joining Eisenhut on the All-Conference First Team is senior forward Nicole Leary. Leary leads the Saints in field goal percentage and averages 10.4 points per game. She became the sixth player in the program’s history to score 1,000 career points earlier this year.

Junior Megan Dietrichsen was selected as a Second-Team All-Conference forward. Dietrichsen leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game and has blocked 1.4 shots per game this season. She adds 7.7 points per game in a very balanced offense.

Senior guard Cara Barbierri was an All-Conference Honorable Mention. Barbierri joined Eisenhut and Leary in the 1,000-point club one day after Leary scored her 1,000th point. Barbierri averages 11.1 points per game and is the team’s best 3-point shooter, making 42% of her shots from behind the arc.

The Saints, now 25-3 continue their NCAA Tournament run in the sectionals this weekend at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. On Friday the Saints face Ohio Wesleyan (21-7) at 5 p.m., while Springfield (25-3) will play Bowdoin (25-1) at 7 p.m. The winners will play on Saturday at 5 p.m. for a right to advance to the Final Four in Terre Haute, IN.

THIRTEEN POINT RUN KEYS SAINT VICTORY OVER CASE WESTERN IN NCAA GAME

March 2 — After scoring just two points 4:11 into their second round NCAA Tournament game with Case Western Reserve University, Bruce Tallon decided that the Saints needed to calm down. The Saints were 1-for-6 shooting and had turned the ball over four times in the opening moments of the game.

Tallon, St. Lawrence’s assistant coach, told Saint head coach G.P. Gromacki to take a timeout.

“I told them that we needed to settle down, and we’d be fine,” said Gromacki. “We missed a lot of easy shots. After that timeout, we settled down, hit some shots, and that set the tone for the game.”

Hit some shots indeed. The Saints went 5-for-5 and were 2-for-2 from the free throw line during a 13-0 run over the next minute and a half to take a 15-2 lead with 13:23 remaining.

The Saints held onto the lead for the remainder of the game, beating the Spartans 73-67. St. Lawrence, now 25-3 on the season, advances to the Sweet 16 with the win and will face Ohio Wesleyan on Friday, March 8th. Ohio Wesleyan beat Ithaca, also by a score of 73-67, in Ithaca on Saturday. Case Western, which beat Mount Saint Mary 59-56 in the first round, finishes the season 20-7.

While the Saints held a lead for the final 35 minutes of the game, it was never a comfortable lead. Case Western gained momentum near the end of the game.

Meredith Eisenhut seemed to put the game out of reach with a 3-pointer to give the Saints a 67-52 lead with less than two minutes to play, but Angie Zeuch responded with a 3-pointer for Case Western which started a 9-1 run in 62 seconds, pulling the Spartans back within six.

“I felt pretty good about our situation after Meredith hit that shot,” Gromacki said. “But (Zeuch) came right back down the floor and hit a 3-pointer for them. We missed some free throws late, but (Nicole Leary) made a pair with 22 seconds left to put it out of reach.”

Leary was one point shy of a season high, scoring 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Eisenhut added 14 points, while Cara Barbierri scored 10 points for the Saints.

JeNine Nickerson led Case Western, scoring 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting and adding 17 rebounds, including 10 offensive rebounds.

“She is a player,” said Gromacki. “She was going strong to the basket, getting offensive rebounds, and hitting huge shots on us.”

Nickerson was complemented by Zeuch, who scored 22 points for the Spartans on 9-for-18 shooting. But other than Nickerson and Zeuch, Case Western’s offense struggled, shooting just 3-for-36 (.083).

“We’re excited to get a win,” said Gromacki. “We’re happy to advance to the next round of the tournament, and beating a team like Case Western gives us confidence for the next round.”

The Saints will face Ohio Wesleyan in the sectional semifinal on Friday at 5 p.m. at Springfield College. If they win on Friday, they will play the winner of Bowdoin vs. Springfield on Saturday at 5 p.m. for a chance to make the Final Four in Terre Haute, IN.

SAINTS EARN FIRST ROUND BYE, WILL HOST SECOND ROUND NCAA GAME ON SATURDAY

February 24 — The St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team will host either Mount St. Mary or Case Western Reserve University in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 2nd.

The Saints earned berth into the tournament by claiming the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament title on Saturday. St. Lawrence brings a 24-3 record and a ten-game winning streak into the tournament, and are 10-0 on their home court.

With a win on Saturday, the Saints would advance to the Sweet Sixteen and could face Ithaca, who also earned a first-round bye. The Bombers beat the Saints 57-56 at Ithaca on Dec. 7th. Ithaca was the top team in the East Region last week, while the Saints were ranked second.

“Right now our goal is to beat whoever we face on Saturday,” said Saint coach G.P. Gromacki. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”

Case Western holds a 19-6 record, while Mount St. Mary is 20-3. The two teams will play on Wednesday for the right to play the Saints in Canton on Saturday.

SAINTS CLAIM UCAA TITLE WITH
TENTH STRAIGHT WIN

February 23 — The St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team may have exorcised some demons on Saturday.

UCAA Tournament MVP Cara Barbierri

The Saints built a 12-point halftime lead and William Smith never got back within single digits as St. Lawrence beat the Herons 70-46 in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association tournament championship in Burkman Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Saints become the first women’s basketball team to win both the UCAA regular season title and the conference tournament. The team also earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Last year the Saints had the opportunity to win both the regular season title and the conference tournament, but lost to Rensselaer 69-64 in the tournament championship. “We remembered how we felt last year,” said St. Lawrence head coach G.P. Gromacki. “Now we know how good it feels to know that all the extra hard work this year has paid off.”

Cara Barbierri was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scoring 17 points in the championship game. Barbierri made over 63% of her shots in the tournament.

“Cara hit some huge shots for us this weekend,” said Gromacki. “She hit a 3-pointer late in the first half to give us a 12-point lead at halftime. That gave us a big lift going into the locker room.”

The Saints didn’t start the second half worry free, however, as three players had three fouls in the first half.

“We were shutting them down defensively, but they had 12 points from the foul line in the first half,” said Gromacki. “We held William Smith to 17 shots in the first half, so we knew that if we stopped putting them on the line, we would be fine in the second half.”

The Herons took just four free throws in the second half, and the Saints pulled away with a 15-4 run to open the half, taking a 53-30 lead with 12:59 to play.

Megan Dietrichsen made the All-Tournament Team for the Saints, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Meredith Eisenhut joined Dietrichsen, scoring nine points with six assists and four steals to go along with 15 points, five assists and five steals in the semifinal win over Union.

William Smith’s Leah Cornwell scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Herons, while Laura Hadwin scored 13 points after a 34-point effort in the semifinal against Rensselaer. Cornwell and Hadwin made the All-Tournament Team for the Herons.

Holly Neiweem made the All-Tournament Team for Rensselaer, scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and adding five assists in the Red Hawks semifinal loss to William Smith on Friday.

NCAA Tournament brackets will be released on Sunday at 9:30 p.m.

SAINTS SURVIVE UNION, SET TO FACE WILLIAM SMITH IN TOURNEY FINAL

February 22 —Union apparently wasn’t bothered by two 20-point losses to St. Lawrence University’s women’s basketball team earlier during the regular season.

The Dutchwomen, seeded fourth in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, stayed right with the Saints for almost the entire game before the top seeded favorites pulled away for a 68-53 win.

“(Union) was fighting for its playing life,” said St. Lawrence head coach G.P. Gromacki. “They were tough tonight. But I think in the end we showed what kind of team we have.”

The Saints led by 13 points with 5:37 to play, but the Dutchwomen trimmed the lead to 59-52 with 2:51 to play before the Saints finally pulled away with a 6-0 run in the next two minutes.

Meredith Eisenhut led the Saints with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting, adding five assists and five steals. Cara Barbierri added 13 points, while Aliza Bogdanich scored 12 points off the bench. Bogdanich has now hit 15 consecutive free throws.

Katie Smith led Union, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Katlyn Cunningham added 14 points for the Dutchwomen, who fall to 15-11.

The Saints will play William Smith, which beat Rensselaer 81-75, in the UCAA Tournament championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday. St. Lawrence closed out the regular season with a 79-56 win over the Herons last weekend, but William Smith beat the Saints 63-51 earlier this season. Since that loss, the Saints have run off nine consecutive victories.

“Even though we beat William Smith last week, we know they’re going to be ready for us,” said Gromacki. “If we play as well as we did against them last weekend, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”

The Saints, ranked 18th nationally by D3Hoops.com and the second ranked team in the East Region, improve to 23-3 on the season. St. Lawrence is 9-0 at home this season.

BOGDANICH EARNS UCAA HONORS, SAINTS SET TO HOST UCAA TOURNAMENT

February 19 — Aliza Bogdanich was selected as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Forward/Center of the Week on Monday.

Bogdanich, a sophomore from Canaan, NH, scored a career high 23 points in a 104-60 win over Hamilton on Friday night. She added eight points and 12 rebounds in a 79-56 win over William Smith on Saturday to extend the Saints winning streak to eight games.

The Saints finished the regular season with a 22-3 overall record and were 13-1 in the conference. St. Lawrence will serve as the host institution for the UCAA Tournament this weekend. Second seeded Rensselaer will face No. 3 William Smith at 6 p.m. on Friday, with the top seeded Saints tiping off with fourth seed Union at 8 p.m. The two winners will play in the championship game at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

SENSATIONAL SAINT SENIORS AVENGE
LOSS TO WILLIAM SMITH

February 16 — St. Lawrence University’s women’s basketball team might have been a little emotional at the beginning of Saturday afternoon’s game against William Smith.

The senior class, playing their last regular season home game, was honored before Saturday’s game with a 10-minute presentation, and William Smith responded by taking an 11-5 lead in the first five and a half minutes of the game.

But it didn’t take long for the Saints to start playing the way that has sent them on an eight game winning streak.

The Saints, ranked 18th nationally by D3Hoops.com, outscored the Herons 34-9 to close out the half and never looked back, winning the game 79-56. St. Lawrence finishes the regular season with a 22-3 overall record, and were nearly perfect in the UCAA, winning 13 of their 14 conference games.

The Herons were the only team to beat the Saints in conference play, defeating St. Lawrence 63-51 on Jan. 25th. The Saints have won all eight of their games since, their longest winning streak of the season.

Meredith Eisenhut, who was honored before the game for becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season, set another career mark with six assists in Saturday’s game, giving her the all-time record with 393. Eisenhut finished the game with 18 points and five steals.

Cara Barbierri, another senior, added 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point line. Nicole Leary, a senior forward, scored seven points and had four steals in her final regular season home game. St. Lawrence’s Jen Janeway, the fourth senior on the roster, tore an ACL in December and has been forced to sit out the remainder of the season.

Meredith Pridgen led the Saints in the paint, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Aliza Bodganich, who scored a season high 23 points on Friday, scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Laura Hadwin led all scorers with 20 points for the Herons, who fall to 16-8, 9-5 UCAA. Leah Cornwell added 15 points for William Smith, who will be the No. 3 seed in next weekend’s UCAA Tournament and face No. 2 Rensselaer.

St. Lawrence will play the fourth seed Union in the semifinals on Friday. The Saints beat the Dutchwomen by 20 points in both of their meetings this season.

SAINTS REACH CENTURY MARK
BEHIND BOGDANICH

February 15 — Aliza Bogdanich scored a season-high 23 points in just 21 minutes off the bench to lead St. Lawrence University to a 104-60 win over Hamilton in an Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball game in Burkman Gymnasium on Friday night.

Bogdanich, whose previous high this season was 12 points, was 7-for-11 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Meredith Eisenhut added 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and had eight steals for the Saints. Nicole Leary scored 15 points and Cara Barbierri added 11 for St. Lawrence, which has won seven games in a row and 13 of their last 14.

The Saints took control early in the game, taking a 20-3 lead with 13:13 to play in the first half and leading 53-25 at halftime. St. Lawrence never relented, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time this season with Lauren Foran hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play to give the Saints a 102-58 lead.

St. Lawrence set season highs in points scored, field goals made (38), field goal percentage (.551), and 3-point percentage (.714).

Jen Munoz and Karen Pogonowski led Hamilton with 12 points apiece. Holly Erick added 10 points for the Continentals.

The Saints improve to 21-3 overall, 12-1 UCAA, while Hamilton falls to 11-11, 7-6. St. Lawrence has won the UCAA regular season title and will host the UCAA Tournament next weekend. The Saints close out their regular season schedule by hosting William Smith on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Herons are the only UCAA team to beat the Saints this season.

BARBIERRI SELECTED TO D3HOOPS.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK

February 13 — Cara Baribierri was selected as a member of the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week on Wednesday morning.

Barbierri became the seventh player in the history of St. Lawrence University’s women’s basketball program to score 1,000 career points on Saturday. She scored 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-8 from behind the 3-point line, to lead the Saints to a 65-42 win over Union on Friday night.

Barbierri, a senior guard from Shaftsbury, VT, entered the weekend 33 points shy of the milestone, and had a season high of 15 points before Friday’s 25-point game.

She reached the 1,000-point plateau in the first half of Saturday’s game, and finished with 12 points in St. Lawrence’s 66-47 win.

The Saints have claimed at least a share of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title with a 20-3 overall record, 11-1 UCAA. The Saints, who have won six games in a row, will host the UCAA Tournament next weekend after closing out their regular season with a pair of home games against conference foes Hamilton and William Smith this weekend.

BARBIERRI BECOMES SECOND SAINT
TO REACH 1,000 IN TWO DAYS AS SAINTS BEAT SKIDMORE

February 9 — Cara Barbierri became the second St. Lawrence University women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 points in a St. Lawrence career in two days and the Saints claimed at least a tie for the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title with a 66-47 win over Skidmore on Saturday afternoon.

Barbierri, who needed 33 points heading into the weekend, set herself up to reach the 1,000 point plateau with 25 points in St. Lawrence’s 65-42 win over Union on Friday night. But Nicole Leary was the focus on Friday, as the senior forward scored her 1,000th career point to lead the Saints to their fifth consecutive victory.

Barbierri scored 12 points in Saturday’s win for the Saints, including the 1,000th of her career in the first half of Saturday’s game. Barbierri is the third member of the current team to reach 1,000 points in her career. Meredith Eisenhut, who holds the St. Lawrence record for points with 1,330.

The Saints led by a thin 24-22 margin after the first half, but hammered the Thoroughbreds in the second half, converting over 57% of their field goals. The Saints actually made more shots (16) than Skidmore attempted (15) in the second half.

Aliza Bogdanich added 10 points for the Saints, who have reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year. Eisenhut added eight points and five assists for the Saints, while freshman forward Meredith Pridgen scored eight points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Stephanie Walters led all scorers with 14 points for Skidmore, while Shanley Irving added 10 points for the Thoroughbreds.

St. Lawrence improves to 20-3 overall, 11-1 UCAA with just two games remaining in the regular season. Skidmore falls to 11-12, 2-10. The Saints now have a two and a half game lead over William Smith and Rensselaer, who have 8-3 UCAA records.

The team which finishes in regular season standings will host the UCAA tournament on February 22nd and 23rd. The Saints close out the regular season with home games against Hamilton and William Smith on Friday and Saturday.

LEARY REACHES 1,000, BARBIERRI CLOSES IN AS WELL IN ANOTHER UCAA WIN

February 8 — Nicole Leary scored her 1,000th career point and Cara Barbierri scored 25 points to lead the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team to a 65-42 win over Union in Schenectady, NY, in an Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association game on Friday night.

Leary, a senior forward from Northfield, MA, needed just four points to reach 1,000 for her career at St. Lawrence. She scored her fourth point of the night and her 1,000th of her career for the conference leading Saints at the 5:12 mark, tying the game at 15-15. Leary finished the game with eight points.

The Saints led 29-25 at halftime, but made just over 36% of their shots in the first half. St. Lawrence’s shooting improved to over 45% in the second half, and the Saints, who currently have the second best shooting percentage defense in the country, held the Dutchwomen to 16.7% shooting in the second half to pull away from Union.

Barbierri was 10-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, to score the highest point total in a single game for the Saints this season. Barbierri now has 992 career points, and will look to become the second player in two days to score her 1,000th career point in Saturday’s game against Skidmore in Saratoga.

Meredith Pridgen scored 12 points and led the Saints with eight rebounds for the Saints, who were outrebounded (42-41) for just the fifth time this season.

Katie Smith and Melissa Marra led the Dutchwomen with 11 points apiece.

The Saints earn a season sweep of the Dutchwomen with the win, and improve to 19-3 overall, 10-1 UCAA. St. Lawrence, currently in first in the conference, claimed a spot in the UCAA tournament with the win. The Saints now have a two-game lead in the conference standings with William Smith falling to Rensselaer 81-47. Union falls to 13-9, 5-6 UCAA with the loss.

St. Lawrence will try to hold their lead in the conference standings when the team faces Skidmore on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Saratoga. The Saints defeated the Thoroughbreds 68-48 on Jan. 11th in Canton.

SAINTS SWEEP CLARKSON, LEARY WITHIN STRIKING RANGE OF 1,000

February 5 — Four players scored in double digits to lead the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team to a 74-50 win over north country and Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association rival Clarkson in Potsdam on Tuesday night.

Nicole Leary needed 12 points to reach 1,000 for her career, but came up four short as she got in early foul trouble, eventually fouling out with 26 seconds to play.

The Saints, who beat the Golden Knights 69-30 on Nov. 27th, earned a season sweep with the win.

Megan Dietrichsen led the Saints with 13 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field. Cara Barbierri added 12 points and five assists for the Saints, who set a season high in 3-pointers with eight, and tied a season low with 13 turnovers.

Meredith Eisenhut and Katie Griffith added 10 points apiece for the Saints, and Eisenhut tied a season high with nine assists. The Saints also tied a season high with 25 assists on 31 field goals.

The Saints led 29-20 at halftime, but struggled offensively, shooting just over 31%. After Clarkson cut the lead to three points early in the second half, the Saints took control of the game, going on a 29-9 run to take a 58-35 lead with 8:21 remaining.

Even though Leary ended up short of the 1,000 point mark, Clarkson's Linda Bondellio scored her 1,000th career point in the second half. She led all scorers with 24 points, and Jen Martin added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Knights.

The Saints improve to 18-3, 9-1 UCAA, while Clarkson falls to 8-12, 3-7.

The Saints, who have a one game lead in the conference standings, will have the chance to guarantee themselves a spot in the UCAA tournament with a win over Union on Friday.

BALANCED OFFENSE, TOUGH DEFENSE; SAINTS SNUFF OUT BREWERS

February 3 — Three players scored in double digits and four had at least five rebounds to lead the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team to a 76-42 win over Vassar in Burkman Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

Cara Barbierri led the Saints, scoring 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. Aliza Bogdanich added 12 off the bench, shooting 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Katie Griffith had a great all-around game, scoring 11 points, has four assists, two steals and a blocked shot for the Saints.

Meredith Eisenhut, who leads the nation in steals per game, had eight steals, eight points and six assists for the Saints, who improve to 17-3 overall, 8-1 UCAA. The win gives the Saints a one game lead over William Smith in the conference.

Nicole Leary scored nine points, bringing her career total to 988. She also added four blocked shots for the Saints. St. Lawrence led from the start, building an early eight-point cushion.

The Saints made 57% of their first half shots, and tied a season best for overall shooting, making 50% of their shots in the game.

Lauren Nishimura and Lauren Kelly each scored eight points to lead the Brewers, who fall to 7-12, 1-8 UCAA.

The Saints will face north country rival Clarkson in Potsdam on Tuesday, then face Union and Skidmore on the road this weekend.

 

LEARY HELPS SAINTS CLOSE OUT RED HAWKS AS SHE CLOSES IN ON 1,000

February 2 — Nicole Leary scored a game high 17 points, including 13 in the second half, to lead the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team to a 63-46 win over Rensselaer in Burkman Gymnasium on Saturday night.

Leary was 5-for-5 from the field in the second half, had six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots as the Saints turned a modest 22-17 lead into as much as 19 points in the second half. The senior forward from Northfield, MA, now has 979 career points.

Sophomore Aliza Bogdanich added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench, while freshman Jessica Zuk matched a career high with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in her first collegiate start.

Kristin Kaczynski and Holly Neiweem each scored 10 points to lead the Red Hawks, who were held to 27.3% shooting.