#12 (tie) – WBB:
Central Connecticut State at St. Francis (SFU 86-83 2OT) – 2/20/12
#12 (tie) – WBB:
LIU-Brooklyn at Monmouth (MU 55-54) – 2/25/12
We start our countdown of the Top 12 Northeast Conference
games from the past calendar year with a tie at the #12 spot between a pair of
women’s basketball thrillers. First of all, I’ll admit guilt to a total cop out
by taking two games for the #12 spot to stretch the top 12 list to really a top
13. The reason for the tie is that I felt that both games told great stories in
their own right and would do a great job of representing 2012 NEC Women’s
Basketball on this list.
The Red Flash/Blue Devils game was one of two double
overtime WBB games played in 2012. Unlike the Monmouth double OT win over
Lehigh in non-conference play on November 25th, this was a game that
had heavy playoff implications, falling on the next to last week of the 2012
regular season. Central, playing with a short bench due to injuries, were
fighting for one of the final spots. St. Francis, the two-time defending
champion, were in the midst of a battle fighting for one of the top four seeds.
As for the Monmouth/LIU-Brooklyn game, I had the pleasure of being courtside at the MAC to witness it in person, and the game was just a good old-fashioned, edge of your seat, nail biter for the entire 40 minutes. The game featured 6 ties, 15 lead changes, and a game winning shot at 0.9 seconds by a player with a tremendous comeback story.
While neither of these games featured the eventual 2012
champion, Sacred Heart, they both serve as a great representation of just how
close and unpredictable the end of the 2011-12 season was and how unpredictable
the beginning of the 2012-2013 campaign is.
WBB: Central
Connecticut State at St. Francis (SFU 86-83, 2OT) – 2/20/12
The game could not have gotten off to any slower of a start
for the Red Flash. The team that would eventually go on to finish 3rd
in the NEC in scoring with 65.2 points per game, netted a season low 19 points
in the first half, trailing 30-19. The Flash shot just 21% (6 for 28) from the
field in the first half, and only netted two points in the game’s first seven
minutes. St. Francis committed seven turnovers in the game’s first five and a
half minutes and started 1 for 12 from the floor. Whatever halftime speech head
coach Susan Robinson-Fruchtl gave her team worked, as St. Francis stormed out
of the intermission on an 11-2 run in the first three and a half minutes to
pull within two points, 32-30. With 2:09 remaining in regulation, the Blue
Devils seemed to hold a comfortable 60-53 lead before St. Francis once again
charged back to life. Rhonda Watts drained a jumper, then connected from three,
and after an Alli Williams steal and layup, the Flash had completed a 7-0 run
to force a tie game. In the final minute of regulation, Kaley Watras made a
pair of free throws to give Central a two point edge, but with just seven
seconds remaining, Williams hit a game tying layup to send the game into a
bonus session tied at 62. Just over a minute in, the Red Flash grabbed their
first lead of the game on Rhonda Watts free throws. The Flash extended the lead
up to six, 70-64, but now it was Central’s turn to play comeback. In the
closing seconds of the first overtime, with St. Francis ahead by a single
point, Lauren Arbogast hit a game tying jumper for the Blue Devils with just a
second to spare to force a second overtime. From there, Alli Williams took
over. Williams netted all 12 points in the second bonus period for the Flash,
leading her team to an 86-83 win in their final home game of the season. On the
night, Central committed 33 fouls, and saw four of their five starters foul
out. In fact, with the Blue Devils playing with a short bench to begin with due
to injuries, they only had four remaining players in uniform on the court
available to play out the final four seconds. Williams led the way for St.
Francis, scoring 15 of her game high 27points from the free throw line. Watts
contributed 16 points off the bench, including 12 during the second half
comeback. Jackie Babe went for 24 points to lead Central in scoring. St. Francis would go on to split their final
two regular season games, and fall in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals to
Robert Morris. After three straight years in the tournament semi-finals,
Central would finish on the outside looking in of the top eight this year,
finishing just one game behind 8th place Fairleigh Dickinson. Altoona Mirror article
Central Connecticut State Game Recap
The game was a see-saw affair virtually the entire way
through. Monmouth and LIU-Brooklyn found themselves tied 6 times and exchanged
the lead back and forth 15 times, with neither team able to grab a lead of more
than seven points. Fast forwarding to the final moments, Monmouth found
themselves ahead 53-49 with 3:09 left. Blackbirds senior Ashley Palmer
connected on a three with 2:11 to go to pull LIU-Brooklyn within one. It would
stay that way until there were 34 seconds showing on the clock, and She’tiarra
Pledger connected on a layup for a 54-53 Blackbird lead. The final dramatics
came with 2.3 seconds remaining and the game in a timeout. Hawks head coach
Jenny Palmateer sent the 6 foot 3 inch senior Chanel Gomez, celebrating her
senior day, and three point specialist Carly Thibault into the game. From
underneath the basket, Alexis Canady lobbed an inbounds pass into the lane to
Gomez, who threw it in off the glass with 0.9 seconds remaining for the final
lead change and the game winning points, 55-54. LIU-Brooklyn attempted a three
quarter court heave as the final buzzer sounded, an effort that fell well
short, clinching the victory for the Blue and White. 
Back in February of 2010, Chanel Gomez was featured in an
Asbury Park Press article by Steve Edelson, chronicling her rough childhood and
her long journey to the Monmouth women’s basketball team. With her amazing back
story in mind, seeing Gomez record the game winning shot on senior day was an
emotional and memorable moment that made this game Top 12 of 2012 worthy.
Alysha Womack led all scorers with 24 points, while Gomez
added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Palmer led the Blackbirds with 19, becoming the
fourth player in NEC history to eclipse 2,000 career points in the process. The
Hawks and Blackbirds would go on to meet back at the MAC in West Long Branch
exactly one week later in a quarterfinal NEC Tournament matchup. The Hawks would
take the rematch as well 68-56, en route to their second straight NEC
Championship Game appearance. Photo Gallery
Palmateer and Gomez post-game interview
LIU-Brooklyn Recap
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