USciences Claims First CACC Title in 11 Years with Impressive Win over Caldwell in the Final
OFFICIAL PHOTO GALLERY OF 2017 CACC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
CALDWELL, N.J. (March 5, 2017) -- It had been 11 years, but University of the Sciences women's basketball can once again boast it is the best in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). The Devils were spectacular on both ends of the floor in defeating Caldwell University, 72-57, on Sunday in the conference championship final at Newman Gymnasium in Caldwell, N.J.
The Devils had entered the tournament ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II East Region Poll, but Sunday's win guaranteed them a trip to the NCAAs by earning the league's automatic bid to the Big Dance. USciences improved to 26-5 on the season.
Alex Thomas went for 17 points and eight rebounds to help lead USciences to the win and earned a spot on the CACC All-Tournament Team, while Sarah Abbonizio followed with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block to not only make all-tournament, but also be named the most valuable player for the entire championship run. Jordan Vitelli, who also gained a spot on the all-tournament squad, had 16 points to aid in the championship winning effort.
Antoinette Pilla paced Caldwell with a game-high 20 points, as she too, was named to the CACC All-Tournament Team. The Cougars, who will also advance to the NCAA East Regional as an at-large qualifier, fell to 25-5 on the season. The official bracket and announcement for the NCAA regional will be made on Sunday evening on NCAA.com(.)
TURNING POINT: The opening 18 minutes of the contest were close, as Sharell Sanders knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Cougars within one at 30-29. However, it was all Devils after that, as they bridged the second and third quarters with 17-consecutive points to open up a commanding 18-point advantage. Five different Devils scored during the decisive surge, including five points apiece from Vitelli and Mikaela Giuliani. Caldwell never got to within single-digits the rest of the way.
HOT SHOOTING/COLD SHOOTING: USciences shot at a 52-percent pace for the game, including 41 percent from deep. Caldwell, though, struggled with the various defensive looks the Devils threw at it and made just 29.8 percent of its attempts.
BENCH SCORING: Both teams got a double-figure scorer off the bench, including 12 points from Giuliani, while the Cougars received 13 from Andie Lennon. USciences' subs combined to outscore Caldwell's by a narrow 18-17 margin.
MVP: Abbonizio was named the MVP of the championship after averaging 14 points per game. She dropped in a team-best 18 points in Saturday's semifinal win over Bloomfield and scored in double-figures in all three games of the tournament.
WIDE MARGIN OF VICTORY: USciences won all three of its games in the tournament by double-figures, as the average margin of victory was 18.7 points per game. The Devils held opponents to 57 points or less in all three contests.
UP NEXT: Both USciences and Caldwell will advance to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament next weekend at a site to be determined. NCAA.com will have the official bracket announcement Sunday night.
2016-17 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lexi Bruno (Goldey-Beacom College)
Stefani Alston (Dominican College)
Zhane Robinson (Bloomfield College)
Sharell Sanders (Caldwell University)
Antoinette Pilla (Caldwell University)
Alex Thomas (University of the Sciences)
Sarah Abbonizio (University of the Sciences)
Jordan Vitelli (University of the Sciences)
MVP: Sarah Abbonizio (University of the Sciences)
ABOUT THE CACC
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Nyack College, Philadelphia University, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.