No. 1 Marymount and No. 3 Mary Washington Register Women's Basketball Semifinal Wins, Will Meet for Championship on Saturday
CAC Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket
Top-seeded Marymount and third-seeded Mary Washington each secured victories in the CAC women's basketball semifinals on Thursday evening, setting up a championship showdown on Saturday in Arlington, Va.
The Saints (22-4) will host the Eagles (23-4) with the CAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's matchup will mark the 10th time that Marymount and UMW will meet for the title, most recently in 2013.
Marymount, ranked fourth in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, put together an impressive fourth-quarter surge to post a comeback 61-52 victory over fourth-seeded York. The championship game appearance marks the first for Marymount since 2013, when the Saints defeated UMW for the crown.
Trailing by seven entering the fourth quarter, the Saints caught fire in the final period, outscoring the visiting Spartans 22-6 to clinch the title-game berth. Nicole Viscuso led the Saints in scoring with a game-high 16 points, Miranda Krott notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Leah Hurst added 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. Morgan Kuehne scored 12 for the Spartans (20-7), with Sam Hruz tallying 11 points and eight boards.
In Newport News, Va., third-seeded Mary Washington clinched a spot in the title game for the second straight season and fourth time in the last five years with a 77-63 road win at second-seeded Christopher Newport. The Eagles, ranked 22nd in the nation and seventh in the region, avenged two regular-season losses to the Captains with Thursday's semifinal win. The Captains, ranked 21st in the nation and fifth in the region, will now hope for an at-large bid to NCAA's.
UMW's Kendall Parker spearheaded the victory for the Eagles, erupting for a career-high 36 points, which was just two off the UMW single-game record. Parker knocked down 11-of-17 shots, including 8-of-12 from three-point range, to lead the UMW offense. Brianne Comden added 12 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the win. Jessica Daguilh led CNU with 21 points and nine boards off the bench.