Salem, Va. - The Denison Big Red women's basketball team has punched its ticket to the Final Four for the first time in program history after defeating Washington and Lee in the Sectional Final Championship 77-64. No. 8 Denison (28-2) will face off against No. 2 overall seed Wisconsin-Oshkosh (28-3) in the national semifinals on Thursday, March 19 in the Cregger Center on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia at 5 pm (EST).
The other semifinal matchup will be a battle of unbeatens, as defending two-time national champion No. 1 New York University (29-0) will face off against the University of Scranton (31-0) right after at 7:30 pm (EST).
The National Championship will be on Saturday, March 21 at 4 pm (EST).
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How They Got Here
Denison: The Big Red are in the midst of a historic season, matching their program-record in wins along with their first ever appearance in the Sweet 16. Denison started out their season 17-0, with key wins over Transylvania and John Carroll, who were both NCAA Tournament teams. They suffered their first loss against Ohio Wesleyan on the road shortly after, but regrouped to rattle off seven-straight victories, avenging their loss to Ohio Wesleyan in the final seconds to claim the NCAC Regular Season Championship.
In the NCAC Tournament, the Big Red would suffer their second loss of the season, falling to DePauw in the tournament semifinals. DePauw would later go on to win the championship game, and earn the automatic bid into the tournament.
Denison would receive an at-large bid and host the first and second rounds of the tournament, where they welcomed Trine, Shenandoah, and Southern Virginia to Granville. Denison cruised by Southern Virginia in their first game, and would escape a comeback effort from No. 24 Trine to advance to the Sweet 16 down in Lexington, Virginia, hosted by Washington and Lee.
The Big Red would face a familiar foe in NCAC opponent John Carroll, who they swept earlier in the season. They completed the official sweep, downing John Carroll 86-67 in efficient play to take on Washington and Lee in the Elite Eight. In front of a packed crowd, Denison fended off another comeback attempt with a big fourth quarter to defeat the hosts, and advance to the Final Four in Salem.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh: The Titans are no strangers to the Final Four, as this becomes their second-straight appearance, as last season they fell to eventual runner-up Smith College 49-47. Oshkosh faced a slew of great competition, as just like Denison, started the season going 19-0 with key wins over Carroll University, UChicago, Coe, UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Platteville to rise as high as No. 3 in the D3hoops.com poll. They suffered their first couple of losses to UW-Platteville and UW-Eau Claire towards the end of the season, but advanced to the WIAC Tournament Championship, where they lost their third game of the season, this time to UW-La Crosse.
The Titans received an at-large bid and hosting rights, as they faced off against Webster University in the first round, who they took care of soundly, and defeated Wisconsin Lutheran College to reach the Sweet 16. The Sectional Championship featured historic powerhouses, which UW-Oshkosh took care of, defeating WashU in the Sweet 16 64-43, and beat UChicago 73-56 in the Elite Eight to reach their second consecutive Final Four.
Denison vs. UW-Oshkosh Overview
Both teams have been battle tested throughout the season, as the Titans have beaten 15 NPI Top 65 teams, whereas the Big Red have defeated seven. UW-Oshkosh received the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, and are ranked fourth nationally, while Denison ranked eighth.
The Titans are sound on defense, not letting up over 65 points on the year and limiting 22 of their opponents to fewer than 50 points. On the opposite end, Denison likes to push the ball up the floor, scoring 75.7 points per game in comparison to UW-Oshkosh's 63.4. It will be a battle of different styles, with one having to give.
Statistical Overview
Denison ranks top defensively in multiple national categories, as they are ninth in blocks per game (5.1), 30th in rebound margin (8.2), rebounds per game (45.63), and 42nd in steals per game (12.4).
On offense, they like to push the pace, as they rank fifth in total points with 2,270, and rank 19th in offensive rebounds per game (17.2). They score 75.7 points per game, good for 11th in the country, and are not shy about shooting from behind the arc, shooting 25.7 attempts per game. Their bench production ranks ninth in the nation, as they put up 26.9 points in that category.
UW-Oshkosh also displays incredible defense, as they are second nationally in points against, giving up just 45.9. They ranked 42nd nationally in defensive field goal percentage, limiting opponents to 34.1% shooting, and ranked 22nd in scoring margin at 17.5 points.
The Titans are sound with the ball, as they rank ninth in assist/turnover ratio with 1.2 per game, and only give up 9.6 turnovers per game, which ranks second. They rank 44th in the country in field goal percentage and first in the WIAC (41.7%), and they are lethal from the free-throw line, shooting at a 72.9% clip.
Key Players
Denison is led by their junior duo of Ada Taute and Abby Cooch, who were both named All-NCAC First Team for their efforts this season. Taute paces the Big Red, averaging 14 points per game along with 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. The Chicago native also leads the team in steals with 2.2, and shoots 47.3% from the field. In the tournament, she has been deadly, scoring 16 points per game on 49% shooting along with 7.0 rebounds per game. She averaged 24 in her last two games in the tournament as well, and was recently named First Team All-Region. She has eclipsed 10+ points 23 times this season, proving to be a threat.
Cooch leads the Big Red down the floor as the point guard, following up behind Taute averaging 13.3 per game, and leading Denison in assists at 3.8 per game. Cooch led the conference in free-throw percentage at 83.5%, and is shooting 31.3% from behind the arc. In the NCAA Tournament, she is averaging 14.5 points per game, and hit a program-record seven three's in a game against No. 24 Trine University in the second round.
On the defensive end, Anelly Mad-toingué has been a force, ranking top-10 in the nation in blocks (fourth, 86) and blocks per game (seventh, 2.87). On the glass, she averages 10.2 rebounds per game, with four of them being offensive. Apart from her defense, she is fourth on the Big Red in scoring at 7.5 a game, and has posted five double-doubles, with her highest rebounding total in a game being 21 against Wittenberg (1/21). She was recently named Third Team All-NCAC for her efforts.
NCAC Newcomer of the Year Molly Dorighi recently had her best game of her young Denison career, posting a career-high 19 points in the win against Washington and Lee. On the year, she averages 6.4 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds and has racked up 57 steals as well. Junior Violet Mitchell has shined in her past couple games, averaging 13 points across four tournament games and knocking down eight triples in the process. She averages 7.5 points per game, along with 3.4 rebounds per game.
Brooke Toigo (18.7 MPG, 6.8 PPG), Adelyn Moore (15.6 MPG, 8 PPG), and Morgan Kress (12.9 MPG) all record valuable minutes off the bench, as the Big Red rotate much of its starting lineup with key pieces.
Paige Seckar leads the Titans on the floor, averaging 13.4 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks, which all lead the team. The WIAC Player of the Year recorded her eighth double-double of the season against UChicago during the sectional final, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds, and shoots 77.5% from the charity stripe. In the NCAA Tournament, she is averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, with her third highest scoring output this season coming against Wisconsin Lutheran, where she scored 21 points.
Junior Sammi Beyer is right behind Seckar in scoring, putting up 12.1 a game. The First Team All-WIAC selection also grabs 3.1 rebounds per game and leads the team in assists at 3.1. She has knocked down 54 three-pointers, and is 10th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 2.29. She was second in the WIAC in total assists at 96, and had a team-high 22 points in the Titans win over UChicago in the Sectional Final.
The final First Team All-WIAC selection and WIAC All-Defensive Team standout is Sarah Hardwick. Hardwick averages 7.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. She has had a solid tournament, averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while also recording seven total blocks across four games. She is the all-time leader in starts at Oshkosh with 120, providing experience down the board for the Titans. All-WIAC Honorable Mention Avery Poole averages 6.5 points and 1.5 assists, providing a spark when needed.
Kate Huml (17.2 MPG, 5.4 PPG), Abbey Inda (11.8 MPG), and Mallory Hoitink (10 MPG) all round out the reserves, and provide valuable minutes off the bench.
