by Matt Koll
Another PAC women’s basketball regular season has wrapped up and it’s time for the conference’s top eight teams to battle it out for the championship.
Once again, it’s the Presidents of Washington & Jefferson as the top seed, seeking to defend their title and make it seven straight title game appearance’s. But there are a few contenders in the mix who have different plans.
Let’s look at this year’s field…
#1 WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON (23-2, 19-1 PAC)
Head coach Jina DeRubbo continued her impressive coaching career by earning her 500th victory on Feb 11 and leading her squad to a nearly undefeated season in-conference. The Presidents come into the tournament the leaders in team defense, stifling their opponents to fewer than 50 points per game (48.5) and are the only team in the conference who can boast such a claim.
Along with the PAC’s best defense, they’re also the PAC’s most efficient shooting team, ending the regular season number one in field goal percentage (40.4%) and 3-point field goal percentage (32.2%). Oh, and they also take care of the ball well, owning the league’s best assist-to-turnover ratio.
Meghan Dryburgh (13.4), Bryn Bezjak (11.7) and Adalynn Cherry (10.0) all average in double figures in scoring, while Dryburgh ranks 2nd in FG percentage and Victoria Koeck ranks 2nd in blocks.
This is a deep team that’s racked up an impressive 15 PAC wins by a double digit margin. Just for context, only #2 Saint Vincent won more games in the PAC (17) and #3 Grove City tied that number with 15 total PAC wins.
There’s no doubt that this team has the capability to repeat as champions.
NEXT GAME: Monday vs. #8 Geneva at 7 pm
#2 SAINT VINCENT BEARCATS (19-4, 17-3 PAC)
Head coach Jimmy Petruska might not be up to 500 wins yet, but he’s no stranger to winning, either. Coming into this season ranked in the top 25 in winning percentage among all Division III coaches, he’s only added to that with this team and this season.
The Bearcats come into the tournament as the PAC’s second-best team defense, holding opponents to just 50.3 points per game as well as being the toughest team to shoot against (27.9% FG against).
“I believe our ability to defend on a very high level has been a major reason why we have been very successful this year,” said Petruska. “We also have been good at controlling the half court tempo which has led to good half court execution in our offensive sets. We have multiple players that score the ball in multiple ways.”
Part of those “multiple players” scoring consistently is the dynamic trio of Emily Cavacini, Madison Weber, and Ella Marconi, all averaging 11 points per game. But according to Petruska, the magic of this team goes beyond just three players.
“Our team chemistry on this team might be the best that I have experienced during my tenure. This team genuinely cares about one another and they go above and beyond to make each other better in all manners. I believe this is extremely important to overall success.”
Petruska wants his team well-rested and recovered as they head into the tournament, stressing to his team that while it’s survive and advance basketball now, they need to stick to who they are and not let each game magnify the pressure too much.
Who they are is a team that’s tough to play against and that can play well enough together to win it all.
NEXT GAME: Monday vs. #7 BETHANY at 7 pm
#3 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (15-10, 15-5 PAC)
The Wolverines bounced back from a winless non-conference record in a big way, winning three quarters of their PAC games.
A big part of their identity this season is hitting the boards, coming into the tournament as the top rebounding team at 48.5 combined rebounds per game. Along with that, Grove City finished 4th in field goal percentage and 3rd in scoring, averaging five more points per game than the top two seeds Saint Vincent and W&J.
The player to watch for to make a difference for the Wolverines is Megan Kallock, who’s been a scoring machine this season averaging 17.6 points per game (3rd in PAC). Mara Polczynski also ranks 2nd in assists.
Grove City will have to shake off some unwanted results heading in, having lost two of their final three games of the regular season including a 2-point loss to #5 Allegheny at home.
Let’s see if their ability to score and rebound allow them to make some noise in this year’s bracket.
NEXT GAME: Monday vs. #6 Westminster at 7 pm
#4 CHATHAM COUGARS (17-7, 14-6 PAC)
Take care of the ball and score.
That’s what Chatham has done well this year, leading the PAC in turnover margin (+9.08), ranking 2nd in assist to turnover ratio and finishing 2nd in team scoring at 70.9 points per game.
Ashlie Loudon paces them in scoring (13.7 ppg) while Alyssa Laukas also averages in double figures (11.1 ppg), while Loudon also leads the PAC in 3-point field goals made. Opponents will have to keep an eye out of Aurielle Brunner as well, who comes in as the conference leader in steals per game.
They don’t have many holes, but if there is one area that could be cause for concern it’s at the free throw line. The Cougars finished the regular season with the league’s 2nd lowest free throw percentage. That could prove costly in a tight game if they can’t make their foul shots.
NEXT GAME: Monday vs. #5 Allegheny at 7 pm on the PAC Sports Network.
#5 ALLEGHENY GATORS (13-12, 12-8 PAC)
The Gators got tested in a big way to finish out the regular season, playing each of the top 4 seeds in the tournament in their final 5 games. Unfortunately, they only came out victorious once in a road win over Grove City.
But Allegheny has plenty of firepower. Emily Lauer is a star, leading the league in scoring averaging 18.5 points per game. She’s also tops in field goal percentage and 2nd in free throw percentage. Meanwhile, Jess Bickart is the PAC’s leading assister while being on the floor more than anyone in the league and Sarah Santicola leads the PAC in blocked shots for the league’s top shot blocking team.
They’ll try to ride the momentum of a two-game winning streak and avenge their recent 89-60 loss to Chatham in the first round of the tournament.
NEXT GAME: Monday @ #4 Chatham at 7 pm on the PAC Sports Network.
#6 WESTMINSTER TITANS (15-10, 11-9 PAC)
They’ll take on Grove City for the third time this season, looking for their first win against the Wolverines. They kept it close in their first matchup in December (69-61) but let the second one get away from them, getting outscored 34-15 in the second half.
While finishing the regular season just 8th in total scoring, the Titans boast the 2nd-best field goal and 3-point field goal percentage in the conference. They will need to emphasize offensive rebounding and giving themselves second chances when they do miss shots though, as they come in ranked 10th in that category.
Natalie Murrio has put together yet another fine season in her senior year, averaging 16 points per game (5th in PAC) while finishing top 5 in field goal percentage, top 10 in assists and #1 in free throw percentage. Lindsay Bell should help with those rebounding efforts, finishing 3rd in total rebounds per game.
It will take their most complete game yet against the Wolverines for the Titans to advance.
NEXT GAME: Monday @ #3 Grove City at 7 pm
#7 BETHANY BISON (9-16, 9-11 PAC)
It’ll be a rematch of the regular season finale played just two days earlier when Bethany meets Saint Vincent in Latrobe in the 1st round on Monday. The Bison bounced back from a 17-5 score at the end of the 1st quarter to make it a 7-point at halftime but just couldn’t generate enough offense to ultimately climb out of the hole and lost 47-38.
Taylor Dusenberry was their only double digit scorer at 12 and was also their leading rebounder with seven. The Bison can get hot from three, finishing the regular season ranked 5th in 3-point FG percentage and 4th in 3-point field goals made. They’ll need to rely on those shots falling for them, especially while finishing last in offensive and total rebounds per game.
This Bison team has grit, having played most of the season without standout guard Lindsey Garrison. Another excellent guard, Makenzee Mason, also went down recently due to injury. Undaunted, the Bison have managed to win five of their last eight games entering the PAC Tournament.
Under first-year head coach Mikayla Lopez, they’ll have the advantage of seeing the Bearcats as recently as possible to make adjustments and try to win when it matters most.
NEXT GAME: Monday @ #2 Saint Vincent at 7 pm
#8 GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES (6-19, 6-14 PAC)
If you like watching offense, you like watching any game involving the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva comes in ranked first in scoring (73 ppg) yet last in team defense (85.5 ppg against).
Geneva loves to rack up the shot attempts, resulting in making the 2nd-most 3 point field goals in the conference and 3rd-most offensive rebounds per game.
Mia San Nicolas is a fun player to watch as the PAC’s 4th highest scorer (17.5 ppg) while ranking 3rd in field goal percentage.
The Golden Tornadoes hit a rough patch to end the season, losing four games in a row, three of them by more than 20 points. In their two previous matchup against W&J, they lost 76-55 in early January and 87-64 on February 15.
NEXT GAME: Monday vs. #1 W&J at 7 pm
