WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Carthage College women's basketball team (24-4), ranked 14th in the Mar. 2 "D3hoops.com" poll, continued its run in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball championship, by knocking off No. 33 UW-Whitewater (21-8), 79-74, on Saturday, March 6 at Kachel Gym in Whitewater, Wis. The Lady Reds will face No. 5 George Fox University (27-2) on Friday in the sectionals semifinals at a to be determined site.
A tight first half saw neither team lead by more than five points. The half featured four ties and 15 lead changes. Trailing by two, Carthage used a 7-0 run capped by a Diana Jacklin layup with 6:02 remaining in the half to open a 27-22 edge. The Lady Reds did not trail the remainder of the half. Rosie Dorn scored 16 first half points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Lady Reds shot 59 percent in the opening frame while limiting UW-Whitewater to just 35 percent.
Carthage came out strong to begin the second half, using outside shooting to take control of the contest. Consecutive threes by Dani Ripkey pushed the lead to seven at 31-24 with 17:54 to play. Another 7-0 run put the Lady Reds up by double digits at 48-38 with 14:33 to go as Diana Jacklin converted back-to-back layups. Carthage led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but UW-Whitewater came roaring back on its home floor. The Warhawks reeled off a 9-0 run to get within four at 65-61 with 4:05 left. UW-Whitewater cut the edge to two at 74-72 and had an opportunity to tie with less than 30 seconds left trailing by three but turned the ball over. After hitting just one long range jumper in the first half, Carthage connected on five in the second.
Carthage shot 55 percent (24-44) for the game and hit 25-37 free throws. UW-Whitewater shot 40 percent in the game (24-60). Nicole Bundy led UW-Whitewater with 22 points before fouling out. Kelsey Hendrickson netted 21 with Sarah Moran adding 14. Rosie Dorn (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Wilmette-Regina Dominican) led all scorers with 26 for the Lady Reds. Heather Gilmore (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa/Pleasant Hill-Southeast Polk) contributed 15 while Diana Jacklin (So., Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) scored 14. Dani Ripkey (So., Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) also reached double digits with 11.
"We knew we needed to play physically and mentally tough," said Carthage Head Coach Tim Bernero. "We were able to get stops and had enough poise to get some tough rebounds and make free throws down the stretch."
