Women's Basketball Set for NCAA Division III Championship First Round Game at Ithaca College
The Matchup: Elms College Blazers (20-8) vs. Ithaca College (23-4)
Date: Friday, March 2
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Site: Ben Light Gymnasium (Ithaca, N.Y.)
All-Time Series: This is the first meeting between the schools in women's basketball
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Three Games To Glory: Here is a game-by-game look at how Elms, the number two seed in the league tournament, won its first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tournament championship and punched its ticket to the program's first-ever NCAA Division III Championship:
- Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 - No. 2 Elms College vs. No. 7 Bay Path College (at Picknelly Arena, Chicopee, Mass.)
Elms' freshman forward Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) scored a game-high 25 points and added a game-best 19 rebounds to help the Blazers seal a 62-51 victory over Bay Path in quarterfinal action of the 2011-12 NECC women's basketball tournament. Senior forward Erika Murphy (Torrington, Conn.) and senior guard Carolyn Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass.) finished with 14 and 13 points respectively.
- Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 - No. 2 Elms College vs. No. 3 Newbury College (at Higgins Court, Weston, Mass.)
In the semifinal round of the NECC women's basketball tournament, Parks propelled the Blazers to a convincing 78-65 victory on the strength of a 27-point, 27-rebound effort. Parks' 27 rebounds also tied Elms' single-game high in the category and the win earned the Blazers a trip to the tournament title game for the second time in four years. Murphy added 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
- Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 - No. 2 Elms College vs. No. 4 Daniel Webster College (at Higgins Court, Weston, Mass.)
In the tournament title game, Elms trailed 64-63 with time winding down before Murphy broke into the lane with 6.4 seconds left and knocked down a jumper that put the Blazers ahead, 65-64. She then knocked down 1 of 2 free throws with one second remaining to seal the championship victory, 66-64. Parks finished with a team-high 15 points, while Talmadge canned four treys en route to 14 points and dished out four assists. Murphy added 11 points and a game-best 15 rebounds to help seal the victory. Parks was named the tournament's MVP, while Murphy also earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
Setting Single-Season Records: During the 2011-12 campaign, the Blazers set three single-season team records in points scored (1,794), win percentage (71.4-percent) and most wins in a season (20 and counting). Elms also had four individual single-season marks fall as Parks established new season-highs in points (536), points per game (19.1), field goal percentage (50.4-percent) and tied the program's field goals made in a season record of 206. Parks also tied Elms' single-game record for rebounds with 27.
NECC Accolades: Following the 2011-12 season, Murphy and Parks were named First Team All-NECC, while Parks also earned NECC Rookie of the Year honors. Talmadge earned a spot on the Honorable Mention All-NECC list, while head coach Laura Habacker was named the NECC Coach of the Year.
Deadly Duo: For opponents, trying to contain Murphy and Parks is no easy task. Parks, in just her first season, is averaging 19.1 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game, while Murphy averages 14.0 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per contest. Parks has scored in double digits in 26 of 28 games so far this season and has totaled 19 double-doubles so far this season. Murphy has registered 16 double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 21 of 26 games she has played in this season.
In Good Company: Blazers' women's basketball becomes the fourth program in Elms' athletics department to make an NCAA postseason appearance. The softball team was the first to do so in 2003 and has made three appearances in 2006 and 2007. The men's basketball team has been to six NCAA Division III Championships in the last eight years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), while the women's soccer team made its first appearance this past fall.
Ithaca In The NCAA Postseason: The Bombers are making their ninth appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship and eighth in the past 12 years. The 2003 season was Ithaca's first selection as an at-large team to the NCAA tournament; the Bombers beat SUNY Brockport 81-68 and St. John Fisher College 86-79 in overtime to advance to the program's first "sweet 16" before losing 57-51 at Rochester University. This marks the second time the Bombers have been chosen to host an NCAA regional (2010); the Bombers hosted single games in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
A Look At What's Next: Ithaca will host the four-team regional on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3 with the University of Southern Maine (21-6) and Bowdoin College (19-7) as the other two teams in the pod. Southern Maine and Bowdoin will square off at 6:00 p.m. and the winner of that contest will face the winner of Elms/Ithaca on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
