The AU Women's Basketball team ended its season of inconsistency by getting shellacked, 62-40, at the hands of Navy in Patriot League tournament first round on March 3 in Worcester, Mass. Navy's win over AU, combined with two regular-season wins, earned the team a season sweep.
AU led by eight early, after a putback by junior forward Abby Lipskis with 8:52 left in the first half, and looked to be in control. But Navy then reeled off a 13-2 run to close the half. Carly Meyer's 3-pointer with a minute left sent Navy into the break with a 22-19 lead.
"We started off well and had a 17-9 lead early, but Navy just had our number," said AU coach Melissa McFerrin. "They executed much better than us offensively."
The Midshipwomen came out firing in the second half and quickly built their lead to 12. Time ran down while the margin ballooned, with Navy leading 46-26 with nine minutes to play.
AU senior forward Chanel Hunt, who returned to the starting lineup in place of the injured senior Jenyce Woodruff, led AU with 17 points and seven rebounds. Senior center Kim Salem chipped in with eight points on the interior, but it wasn't enough to keep AU's offense balanced.
"We relied too much on scoring from the perimeter, and when we do that, we have trouble putting points on the board," McFerrin said.
Even more glaring than the successful games of Hunt and Salem was the rough career end suffered by senior guard Joanna Barnes. She scored only four points on 2-of-19 shooting. Barnes never found her rhythm, registering more turnovers than points (5-4).
Abi Campbell and Lauren Skrel led Navy with 14 points each. Skrel also dished out 11 assists for Navy, who lost in the second round to eventual champion Holy Cross.
The Crusaders defeated Lafayette in the first round before disposing of Navy in the semifinals and Cinderella-story Colgate in the finals March 9.
Colgate went into Lehigh and knocked off third-seeded Army, 78-75, before beating the favored Mountain Hawks on their own gym, 65-60.
In the final, Colgate pestered Holy Cross behind Emily Braseth's 21 points, but Holy Cross pulled out a 79-71 win.
"Holy Cross was the best and most consistent team in the league all year, and they're going to surprise some people with how good they are," McFerrin said.
The 15th-seeded Crusaders will face the second-seeded Ohio State in the NCAA's first round this weekend.
