The best season in the 26-year history of women's basketball at Union College continues this weekend when the second-seeded Dutchwomen take on the third-seeded University of Rochester in Saturday's 6 p.m. semi-final game of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate New York Championship Tournament at Nazareth College in Rochester.
The 4 p.m. match-up pits No. 1 Nazareth against No. 4 Geneseo. The event will conclude with Sunday's 2 p.m. championship. Ticket prices are $3.00 per person per day.
This is the fist postseason appearance for the 18-8 Dutchwomen, whose previous best season came in 1978-79 when the squad finished at 13-10.
Union will be without the services of junior guard Katie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem), who tore her ACL in last Friday's Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association semi-final loss to Rensselaer, 62-58. Smith, who was named to the
UCAA All-Conference First-Team and led the Dutchwomen in scoring (15.1) and assists (3.1), was also the Dutchwomen's third-leading rebounder with her 5.0 average Her three years in a Garnet uniform have produced 1,073 points, fifth on the all-time list. The loss of Smith will mean that Union will need to stay close to its defensive average of 53.4 while relying on seniors Erin McNamara (N. Providence, RI/LaSalle Academy), Kathleen Furlong (Lackawanna, NY/Holy Angels) and Sara D'Arcangelo (Clarksburg, MA/Drury) for more point production. McNamara, a four-year starter, finished third on the team's scoring chart with her 8.5 average and was second to Smith in assists with 42. She was also the Dutchwomen's leading three-point shooter this year with 23 and shows 903 career points. Furlong, who scored all seven of her points in the
second half after Smith went down last week, comes into the game averaging 4.7 points off the bench. A starter during her freshman campaign, Furlong enters the final weekend of her four-year career with a total of 882 points in 94 games (9.4) including 87 field goals from three-point range. D'Arcangelo, meanwhile, has started the last 11 games and gives the team a solid defender who is capable of hitting from three-point range. It was her three-pointer in the final six seconds that won a game at Clarkson earlier this year. D'Arcangelo, who has played in 96 games over the last four years, has connected on 67 career three-point attempts.
The Dutchwomen will also be looking to freshmen Taryn Scinto (Westoowd, NJ/Immaculate Heart) and Victoria Kuzman (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) as well as to sophomore Jill Ring (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) to pick up the slack. Scinto, who was a starter in 15 games this season, averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 assists while finishing third on the team with her 17 three-point baskets. She is also an excellent ball-handler. Kuzman and Ring, meanwhile, are fierce defensive players and have combined for 34 steals.
“There is no question that everyone is going to have to step up their game if we are to be successful,” said sixth-year head coach Mary Ellen Burt, who was an assistant at Rochester for seven years prior to taking over the helm at Union. “We will be a different team without Katie, but I honestly feel that we can be successful if everyone plays within their capabilities and don't try to do more than what is expected of them.”
Union's frontcourt will again consist of starters, junior Heather Bennett (Westwood, MA/Westwood) and senior Beth Perry (Bliss, NY/Lechworth) as well as with junior Meredith Chace (Westwood, MA/Westwood), who is the first player off of the bench. Bennett, who was voted to the UCAA All-Conference Second Team, led the Dutchwomen in rebounding (10.5) and was second in scoring at 12.1 She scored 21 and 20 points in her last two outings, respectively, and had 13 double-doubles this year. Perry contributed 4.8 points, was second to Bennett with her 5.6 rebounds and led the Dutchwomen with 17 blocked shots. Chace, meanwhile, averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds with 29 steals and 18 assists while averaging 13 minutes.
Rochester's 14 victories this season are the highest in seven years since the 1993-94 team finished 19-8 and won the ECAC Upstate New York championship. The Yellowjackets are 14-11 overall.
This is the second meeting ever between these two teams. Rochester defeated Union, 74-47, in 1987 and beat the Dutchwomen 80-49 in 1996. Both of the previous
games came in the Rochester Holiday Tournament.
Nazareth comes into the game with a record of 17-8 while Geneseo is 18-8.