The Denison offense shot 50 percent from the field while the defense forced 19 turnovers and blocked a season-high eight shots as the Big Red knocked off Allegheny College, 80-58, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday from Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio.
The first half was an intense see-saw battle that saw the lead change 10 times in the opening seven and a half minutes. Ahead by three with 4:42 remaining in the period, DU outscored the Gators 14-6 to close out the frame, which included scoring eight of the final 10 tallies. The Denison run was capped off by a lay up by rookie post player Lucy Follansbee (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall School) that gave the home team their first double-digit lead of the night. The Big Red entered the half leading 41-30.
The spurt that closed out the first 20 minutes carried over into the second half of action. Denison exploded out of the locker room with a 16-4 run that blew the game open and gave DU 21-point advantage, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
One of the main factors that allowed the Big Red to jump out on Allegheny was the defensive adjustments made to contain Heidi Goeller. After the first frame, Goeller led all scorers with 14 points. However, DU made the appropriate changes in the locker room and held the rookie to just four second-half points.
The Big Red turned 19 Allegheny turnovers into 29 points, and scored 19 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.
Denison put together their most balanced attack of the season as five players, including three starters, scored in double figures. First-year point guard Serafina Nuzzo (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) led the way with a game-high 18 points and five steals Junior Shaina Kaiser (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) recorded 13 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Haley Dahlgard (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) and Kyli Parker (Batavia, Ohio/Summit County Day) each chipped in 10 tallies.
Perhaps the most complete performance of the night came from Follansbee. The 6-foot-3 rookie played phenomenal on both sides of the ball. She scored 12 points, pulled down six boards (3 offensive, 3 defensive) and blocked a two shots in 16 minutes off the bench.
The Gators were paced by Goeller's 18 tallies, five rebounds and four steals, while Emilie Simone added 11 tallies, three boards and three blocks.
DU improves to 19-7 on the season, while Allegheny falls to 10-16. Denison advances to the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament and will take on conference rival and second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan, who defeated Oberlin College, 62-56, in their quarterfinal clash. The Big Red and Bishops will tip-off at 6 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 26) at top-seeded Wittenberg University.
