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2012 NCAA Basketball Championship

Another Weekend, Another Women's Basketball NCAA Game (or two)

Lady Reds Head out on Thursday for Mount Union

3/4/2012 5:25:00 PM

The Carthage College women's basketball team (22-7) continues its somewhat-improbable trip through the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship bracket this weekend in a sectional championship at the University of Mount Union's McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex in Alliance, Ohio. 

The Lady Reds, after not being at all sure of receiving an NCAA berth, reached the “sweet 16” on March 3 by eliminating No. 4 DePauw University (27-2), 53-48, in a second-round game at DePauw's Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Ind.  Carthage knocked off No. 19 Wisconsin-Whitewater (22-7), 74-68, on Friday, March 2 in a first-round game, with DePauw defeating Westminster College (Mo., 22-5), 66-46, in Friday's other first-round contest. 
 
This Friday, March 9, Carthage will play Centre College (26-3) in a sectional-semifinal game at 5 p.m. (all times EDT).  The Colonels (26-3) defeated Washington University (Mo.), 57-55, in a second-round home game on Saturday in Danville, Ky.  Mount Union (28-1) will take on CCIW-champion Illinois Wesleyan University (23-5) in the other sectional-semifinal game at 7 p.m., with the sectional-championship getting underway at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.  The Purple Raiders defeated Muhlenberg College, 61-55, in Saturday's second round, also in Alliance, while Illinois Wesleyan pummeled Thomas More College, 87-50, at Thomas More's Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Ky.

WLIP-AM (1050) in Kenosha, Wis., continues its live coverage with the "Voice of the Lady Reds" John Weiser doing the play-by-play.  Click here for the sectional web site, and click here for Mount Union's "Live Stats."  Plans for "Live Video" remain uncertain until mid-week.  Also, watch for continuing feature-story coverage on the Carthage athletic web site from special-features writer Jerry Karpowicz.  Click here for Carthage's sectional-tournament notees.

Looking at the Centre:  Wendie Austin-Robinson (97-79, 7 years) coaches the Centre College Colonels, who won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title with a 14-2 mark and won the conference tournament with a 60-48 decision over Millsaps College.  Centre defeated Guilford College, 59-47, in an NCAA first-round game at its own Alumni Gym in Danville, Ky., and knocked off the 2011 national-runner-up and No. 9 Washington University (Mo.), 57-55, in a second round game.  The Colonels are making their third NCAA appearance (1989, 1990), and this is Carthage's first-ever meeting with Centre.
 
Looking at Mount Union:  Suzy Venet (132-62, 7 years at Mount Union/143-78, 8 years overall) coaches the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders, who won the Ohio Athletic Conference title with a 17-1 mark and won the OAC Women's Basketball Tournament with a 77-60 decision over Ohio Northern University.  Mount Union defeated La Roche College, 73-63, in an NCAA first-round game and won over Muhlenberg College, 61-55, in a second-round contest.  This is the sixth NCAA appearance for the Purple Raiders, whose 1996 team lost the national-championship game to Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  Mount Union's 1998 team finished third at the national championship.  This would be Carthage's first-ever meeting with Mount Union.
 
Looking at Illinois Wesleyan:  Mia Smith (277-108, 14 years) coaches the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans, who won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title with a 13-1 mark and won the CCIW Women's Basketball Tournament with a 68-67 decision over Carthage College.  Illinois Wesleyan had an easy time in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, pounding Maryville College, 84-42, in the first round and Thomas More College, 84-50, in the second round.  The Titans are making their sixth NCAA appearance, with last year's team finishing fourth in the national championship.  Illinois Wesleyan leads the Carthage series, 31-23, and the Titans won all three games this year by a an aggregate total of six points:  70-69 on Jan. 14 at the Shirk Center; 57-53 on Feb. 11 at Tarble Arena; and 68-67 on Feb. 25 in the title game of the conference tournament.
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